Replay
by Velyni
Summary: Cagalli figured it was best to play her cards now. If she wanted things to be in her favour, she had to speak now and make them think this wasn't a big deal. No, scratch that. She had to make them understand it wasn't a big deal. She didn't care if she had to be the maid of honour while her ex was going to be the best man. She didn't care. (Chapter 1 Excerpt) [AxC][AU][In-Progress]
1. Chapter 01

**Story Summary**: Cagalli figured it was best to play her cards now. If she wanted things to be in her favour, she had to speak now and make them think this wasn't a big deal. No, scratch that. She had to make them _understand_ it wasn't a big deal. She didn't care if she had to be the maid of honour while her ex was going to be the best man. She didn't care. (Excerpt from chapter 01)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny.

**Author's Note:** I'm challenging myself to write a multi-chaptered story. I know (a little too well) how it feels to wait on a story that never gets updated so I will try my best to get through this. To be honest though, I only have a very general idea of the main plot line at the moment. ^^;

There will be a lot of time travelling (not literal) in this story, so please take note of the time and date at the start of each scene.

* * *

**Chapter 01: The Deal**

_Running. She was running._

_Cagalli Yula Athha had always been known to be a rather rebellious teenager. Despite that, she had never actually broken the golden rule of schools before: No running in the hallway. Of course, now that she was no longer a teenager or a high school student, who was there to scold her?_

_But wait, why was she running?_

_The hallway was packed with students. Was it perhaps that time of day when everyone was happily getting ready to go home? No, that wasn't it. What was she doing here in her old high school anyway? _

_As Cagalli passed the music classroom, she stopped for a moment at the strange sight. There was a group of female students lined up, practicing a choral song as the music teacher conducted at the front of the classroom. The weird thing was that they were all dressed in wedding gowns. In the middle of the group, Cagalli spotted a familiar face framed by beautifully flowing pink hair. It was her friend, Lacus. _

_Ah, she remembered now. Today was the annual music festival in which the school band, choir, and drama department performed for the parents. Cagalli wasn't participating in the music festival but was likely here to watch. Yes, that must be it._

_She turned away from the music classroom and walked in a befuddled manner through the crowded hallway. She was also in a dress; a strapless turquoise dress that reached her knees. Strangely enough, Cagalli didn't remember owning this dress. Why was she wearing it anyways? _

_There was no time to ponder about that though. She remembered now. She was looking for someone in this crowded hallway. Someone who she knew would be here and be quite easy to spot due to his unique hair colour. However, she couldn't seem to find him. _

_She started running again, while looking for that boy she knew she shouldn't be looking for. Where was he? Cagalli knew she has no business with him but for some reason, she wanted to at least get a glimpse of him in the crowd. If only she could just see him, she would feel a little better. She continued to run down the endless hallway, looking for a blue-haired boy._

_But before she could find him, a shrill sound began to echo from a far off land..._

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- March 03, 81 C.E. - 6:24 PM -

There were days when the sky seemed greyer, the air a bit stale, and even sugar tasted bland. Those were known as 'bad days'. For Cagalli, today was one of them.

First off, she was currently drenched from the rainstorm outside. Although she had remembered to bring an umbrella with her, the damned thing decided to break halfway through her walk home. For no good reason at all, the spring had somehow broken and the umbrella just wouldn't stay open. Of course, it was still useable; she just had to manually hold it open as she walked. But after a while, the stretcher decided to break too and through her efforts to fix it, the entire thing fell apart. Needless to say, she threw it into the nearest garbage can after stepping on it a few times due to rage.

Her bad day didn't begin there though. Work hadn't been exactly kind to her either. She worked at a law firm as a clerk. Her job included copying and filing documents, providing researched information for her boss, and serving coffee. Fifty percent of the time though, it was serving coffee. Her boss was an absolute coffee addict and so, there was no surprise the guy would be grumpy the entire day since his precious coffee machine broke down. As a result, Cagalli's day was none too peaceful as well.

However, she had known the day was going to be bad even before then. It started when she woke up this morning, or to be more precise, sometime during her sleep. She had a terrible, terrible dream about being in her old high school and searching for her ex. It's been years since they've broken up and it wasn't like she was _still_ not over him. She wasn't a dumb teenager anymore who was wallowing about a past relationship. No, that was absolutely not the case. The dream annoyed her though. Why was it that this guy keeps appearing in her dreams even though they hadn't seen each other for a long time now? It wasn't as if she thinks of him during her spare time anyway. Perhaps some subconscious part of her brain has a mind of its own and was trying to irritate her by thinking about him during her sleep. But then again, why was she annoyed anyways? It wasn't as if she actually saw him in that distorted version of her old high school.

Cagalli suddenly felt angry at herself for letting something so trivial ruin her day.

She entered her apartment and watched as her roommate, who was sitting at the kitchen table, look up and wince.

"Gee, what happened to you?" Miriallia asked.

"Don't wanna talk about it."

The brunette laughed. "Seems like someone had a bad day," she said in a sing-song voice, as she continued typing on her laptop.

"Well, that's obvious," Cagalli countered. She was a bit disappointed Miriallia hadn't made dinner. Although she felt guilty for thinking of her friend as a maid, her current state had made her hope for something like warm soup for dinner.

After taking off her drenched coat and boots, she walked over to the kitchen to search for something to eat. That was when she noticed an opened container of red candy sitting beside Mirialla's laptop.

"Why are you eating cinnamon hearts? Valentines season was over a long time ago."

Her roommate answered, looking up from her work. "You can have cinnamon hearts when it's not Valentines. Plus, they were on sale."

Cagalli looked at her skeptically.

"What? Do you have something against cinnamon hearts?"

"Well, no..." Cagalli replied. "I love the stuff," she added after a bit of hesitation. Reaching over, she grabbed a couple of the red candies and popped them into her mouth.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- February 14, 71 C.E. - 9:54 AM -

"Cagalli?"

The blonde looked up from her homework and stared with a rather shocked expression at the girl at the front of the classroom. The girl was dressed in a frilly pink dress, with a giant pink bow on her head that was probably twice the size of her face. She also wore matching pink boots and was carrying a pink basket full of candy. Despite the weird getup, that wasn't why Cagalli was shocked. She was shocked because _her_ name was called.

Although Cagalli didn't show any reaction of being the owner of the called name, the girl-in-pink seemed to just _know _who she was and walked over towards her. Oh wait, maybe it was because several of her classmates were pointing at her. Anyway, the girl-in-pink smiled sickeningly sweet at Cagalli and dropped a candy gram onto her table before returning to the front of the classroom and resuming her job.

Every year, the student council held a fundraising event to sell candy grams. Students were allowed to order candy and have it delivered to significant others, friends, teachers, strangers, and the like. Cagalli wasn't expecting a gram though. Well, it could be from a stranger or maybe...

She stared at the strange object on her desk. It was a valentine-themed plastic pouch with what seems to be cinnamon hearts inside. There was a ribbon, a pink one, wrapped around the top of the pouch with a small note attached to it. Cagalli unfolded the note and read the contents:

_Happy Valentines_

_- Athrun_

And she smiled.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- February 14, 71 C.E. - 3:48 PM -

"Hey, you're late," the blue-haired boy greeted as Cagalli ran towards him.

"Sorry, Athrun. Our math teacher just kept droning on and on and...Hey, where's Kira?" She was slightly out of breath from running.

"Date with Lacus," Athrun answered.

"Oh, right..."

They began walking. Both of them lived in a similar part of the neighbourhood so they always met up after school to walk home together, along with her brother. Occasionally, some of their friends would walk with them as well. Today, it seemed like it would only be the two of them.

Cagalli wasn't sure whether she should bring up the topic about the candy gram. A part of her wanted to ask while another part of her was just, well, not sure.

Their relationship was an ambiguous one. Somewhere along the lines of being friends, they had become closer than that though they weren't exactly a couple either. She knew he liked her and he knew she liked him too, but neither had really bothered to tip the balance between friendship and courtship to draw a clear line. Perhaps today will be the day they settle the score.

"Thanks for the candy gram, by the way." Cagalli watched him for a reaction that might indicate how she should approach the situation.

Without sparing her a glance, he replied in a nonchalant manner: "You're welcome."

Well, that's great. What's that supposed to mean?

Before she could give it too much thought, Athrun smiled playfully at her.

"...But now, you owe me something," he told her.

"Huh?" She was a bit confused, but then she remembered. "Oh, okay. I'll remember to get you chocolate for White Day."

He laughed. It was a sound that she surprisingly liked.

"That's not what I meant. And you do know that White Day is when guys get girls chocolate, right?"

"Really?..." Cagalli blinked a few times, before realizing what that suggested. "So does that mean I'll be getting chocolate from you on that day too?"

"Maybe," he responded, after laughing at her question. "I guess that will depend on whether you give me something first for the gram."

"What do you want?"

"How 'bout... a date?"

She pretended to give it some thought, wondering if he already knew the answer. She looked at him, as amusement played on her lips. It seemed in this weird relationship of theirs, shyness was not part of the equation of asking each other out.

"Deal," she answered and watched as his smile widened.

Athrun took a few quick steps and stopped in front of her, halting her from their walk. He held out his pinky as he repeated her one word response: "Deal."

She did not hesitate to hook her pinky to his.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- March 08, 81 C.E. - 6:02 PM -

Cagalli entered the establishment and the waft of food made her stomach growl. She tiptoed a bit, searching amongst the crowd for two familiar heads and then moved towards the table with a brunet and a pink-haired lady.

"Cagalli!" The pink-haired lady stood and gave the blonde a hug.

"Hey, Lacus," the blonde greeted, as she returned the hug. She also gave a nod towards her twin brother who was smiling a bit nervously at her. "Hi, Kira."

"Glad you can make it on such short notice," Kira said as the two women sat down. He seemed to be twitching a little.

Cagalli smiled. "My life isn't that busy. It's not like I have to run a nation or something like that," she replied. "What's the occasion anyways?"

Lacus, who seemed more bubbly than her usual self, piped in. "Oh! We have wonderful news! But first, we have to wait fo- Ah! There he is!" Lacus stood up again, this time to greet a blue-haired man as he approached their table.

The blonde turned a little to see who the newcomer was. Her mind went blank as she realized she would be having dinner with her brother, her brother's girlfriend, and her ex. She looked at Kira, who was obviously avoiding her gaze by turning to greet Athrun.

It was no big deal, really. She just wished her brother had let her know in advance. Why? Well, it would just be...you know, out of courtesy, right? It wasn't nice of him to tell her they were having dinner with Lacus, when really, someone else was going to be there as well. What if she had brought gifts for the two of them and none for the third person? That would have been really awkward. Yes, this was definitely Kira's mistake.

But it was no big deal, really, since she _hadn't_ brought gifts. Nope, she hadn't, so it shouldn't be awkward at all. It's been eight years since she and Athrun broke up, and they were just kids back then. Over the years, they had seen each other a couple of times. It was easy to avoid an ex, but it wasn't easy to avoid your brother's best friend. This wouldn't be the first time they were seeing each other again after high school.

So really, it was no big deal. It would just be another dinner, with her brother, her brother's girlfriend, and her brother's best friend.

As Athrun sat down with Lacus, he gave Cagalli a small smile. She smiled back, albeit hesitantly.

Lacus clapped her hands together, seemingly pleased at the situation. "Now that you're both here, we can tell you the good news," she said happily.

Kira, who was more relaxed now, nodded and smiled at Lacus.

The other two people at the table waited expectantly for the 'good news'. They weren't stupid though. The ring on Lacus's hand was evident enough to spoil the surprise.

"We're getting married!" Kira and Lacus announced excitedly.

Cagalli smiled contentedly as she and Athrun congratulated the engaged couple. Even though she had already guessed the announcement, a genuine smile was spread on her lips as she saw happy her brother and his fiancée were. The two of them had been dating for about twelve years and now that they both had stable careers, it was evident they were ready for the next phase of their lives.

After congratulating the happy couple, they quickly took their orders for dinner before resuming conversation.

"There was something else we wanted to tell you as well," Lacus started, as she took a sip of water.

"Actually, the correct term would be 'ask'. There was something we wanted to ask the two of you," Kira corrected.

Oh, no. Cagalli had a bad feeling about this. Well, it wasn't just a feeling. It was as if she knew what they were going to say next. She stole a glance at Athrun and saw that he seemed to understand as well. Neither of them was psychic but this situation had been played too many times in the media. Honestly, it wasn't as if they were in some cliché movie, so why was this happening?

Lacus giggled. "Anyway, we're hoping to get together with everyone soon to tell them about our engagement. Kira and I wanted to tell the two of you first so that we can also..." She surprised Cagalli by suddenly taking hold of the blonde's hand, which was resting on the table. She smiled a happy and innocent smile. "...ask you two to be our maid of honour and best man."

Cagalli sighed inwardly. How was she going to say 'no' to someone like Lacus? She looked at Athrun, who seemed to be watching her quizzically. She then looked at her brother, who was obviously still avoiding her gaze. Lacus was smiling at her, waiting for her answer.

"Um, I'm not sure, Lacus. I mean, I just..." She quickly rummaged through her brain for a plausible excuse. "I've never really been a maid of honour before so I'm not sure I'll be up for the job." Just as the words left her mouth, Cagalli felt like slapping herself. That was a horrible excuse.

"Oh, don't worry about that!" Lacus exclaimed. "You won't have to do much, I promise. You're one of my closest friends and you're Kira's sister. There's no one else better for the role. Please? For Kira and I?"

The blonde could only nod and mumble a quiet "okay" at Lacus's pleading. She could already imagine all the money she was going to spend on her future nephews and nieces who would inherit Lacus's puppy eyes. But then again, she felt sorrier for her brother.

The pink-haired woman squealed in delight. "What about you, Athrun?"

Cagalli looked up at Athrun and noticed he was still staring at her. Was he hoping she would've said no?

Athrun then smiled at Lacus. "Of course. I'll be honoured to."

Lacus clapped her hands together again, obviously very happy at how things turned out. Kira, on the other hand, still seemed quite fidgety even though he was smiling at his fiancée.

Their meals came and went as they continued to make light conversation regarding the wedding. There was no definite date yet but Kira and Lacus were hoping to have the wedding sometime in June or July. The prospect of preparing for the wedding was both worrisome and exciting for the soon-to-be married couple.

As they finished desert, Lacus took the chance to excuse herself to use the restroom.

And that was when the awkwardness settled in. The table became silent despite the jubilant atmosphere of the restaurant. Cagalli sat, fixating her stare at her glass of water as if a magical creature might come out of it. Athrun was looking expectantly at Kira, waiting for his best friend to say something. Kira didn't seem ready to explain himself though, so he continued to fidget as he gathered his thoughts.

After a very long moment, the brunet finally spoke up.

"Look, I know the two of you aren't exactly...the best of friends but...Lacus really wanted you two to be the best man and maid of honour. I tried to tell her it might not be a good idea but clearly, I failed," Kira said sheepishly.

Cagalli figured it was best to play her cards now. If she wanted things to be in her favour, she had to speak now and make them think this wasn't a big deal. No, scratch that. She had to make them _understand_ it wasn't a big deal. She didn't care if she had to be the maid of honour while her ex was going to be the best man. She didn't care.

"It's alright, Kira. There's no problem, really. It's just like what I said. I'm not sure if I'll be able to play the role well, that's all," the blonde clarified. "I also might not have time to help out that much."

"I thought you said you don't have a busy life," Kira replied, with a raised brow.

"Hey, just because I'm not busy right now, doesn't mean I won't be busy later. Who knows? I might have a lot of work by the time your wedding rolls in."

Kira sighed, half-relieved. "Yeah, don't worry about it. You won't have to do much, I promise. It's not like either of us want an extravagant wedding so everything will probably be simple." He then looked questioningly at his best friend.

"Work has been busy for me lately so as long as I don't have to deal with things like making suggestions on the tablecloth colour, I think it'll be fine," Athrun explained.

The brunet chuckled. "That will probably be my job. But yeah, I get it. I promise to make this as easy as I can for you two as possible, just as long as you two are kind to one another and Lacus stays happy."

"...And just what impression did you have of us to think we were _unkind_ to each other?" His best friend countered smoothly while the blonde nodded in agreement.

"Huh? It's not that...I...Uh, I didn't mean that," Kira stuttered. He sighed tiredly. "Just...as long as everything goes well, I'll make sure to definitely repay the two of you when this is all over, deal?"

Cagalli caught Athrun's eyes as they simultaneously answered Kira's question.

"Deal."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope it didn't feel a bit rushed since there was so much scene-changing. It takes me a while to write so I don't really realize the scenes are actually short until I'm done and rereading. I'm currently finishing up the second chapter and now that I reread this, it seems both chapters have quite a different feel to them. The narration for the second chapter is a bit more serious. I think I must've been high on something when I was writing this one... (I may make some small edits to this chapter later)

In case anyone was confused, the first scene was supposed to be Cagalli's dream. Hence, it was a little confusing as to what was happening. There were also points when it seemed like Cagalli was trying to convince herself things made sense. Does anyone else ever get that when they dream? Something strange happens and you tell yourself 'it's okay'. I tend to get weird dreams. In particular, I had one a few weeks ago about being in my old high school and watching a friend perform in a choir. Yup, you guessed it. She was in a wedding dress. After that, I was looking for someone (not an ex!) in the crowd but I couldn't find them. It was kind of bizarre since I've already graduated from high school for a while now. Anyway, thanks to that dream, you all get a fanfic to read. Yay for bizarre dreams. X)

On a side note, there are actually different variations of White Day. There are differences in who give the gifts and what is given. For simplicity's sake, I will just stick with the one Athrun explained.

I will try to finish the second chapter and start getting ideas for the third one as soon as possible. In the mean time, why not drop me a review and let me know what you think about this so far? ;)

(March 08, 2013 - Happy AsuCaga Day!)


	2. Chapter 02

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny.

**Author's Note:** To clarify, yes, Athrun and Cagalli dated and broke up. As for why, that will be revealed in later chapters. I'm still not sure how I want to present it yet. Also, Kira was afraid of getting told off by Athrun and/or Cagalli because of Lacus's idea. That's also shortly discussed in this chapter. (:

And yes, I realized I keep using hair colour to identify my characters but I really don't know how else to do it. D: When I tried to change some of it, I just ended up using their names. ^^; Perhaps when I've written more about their background and personality, I can work with those. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion; I will keep that in mind. (:

I had this crazy idea that I should match up the dates in the chapters with when I update. Haha, decided against it because I would just be stressing myself out with meeting deadlines. :P The dates matching up for this chapter was just a coincidence. A coincidence, I tell you!

'Breaking the Ice' - To initiate social interchanges and conversation; to get something started (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs)

* * *

**Chapter 02: Breaking the Ice**

- March 07, 81 C.E. - 8:17 PM -

On a certain floor of an apartment building, two individuals were sitting on the couch and enjoying a cup of hot cocoa. The lights were dimmed, but the full length window in front of them provided a beautiful sight of the city lights.

"I really don't think it's a good idea, Lacus," Kira said.

"And just why not?"

"Well, you know how things used to be between them..." Kira was quite surprised when Lacus made the suggestion of having his sister and best friend as the maid of honour and best man for their wedding. It was true that a lot of time had passed but even so, the relationship between them was not entirely peaceful. There was obviously a strange tension between the two which was why Kira avoided meeting both of them at the same time over the years.

"I know, Kira, but don't you think that has come to a pass?" Lacus asked gently.

"I can't say for sure. They don't really talk much when they're together. It's just...awkward."

Lacus took a sip of her cocoa as she thought for a moment. "Since it's been eight years now, it's likely they would have both gotten over it. If so, shouldn't we give them a chance to get to know each other again? That is, as friends?"

"I suppose that's true," Kira replied.

"And if that's not true, this will be the perfect opportunity for them to realize they still have feelings for each other after all these years."

Kira nodded. His fiancée had a point. Maybe Athrun and Cagalli just needed a push in the right direction. Regardless of how things will turn out, this will at least give them a chance to patch up their past and move on if they hadn't already. "You're right. We'll just have to be the catalyst that allows them to be friends again." He lightly kissed Lacus on the cheek. "If we happen to be wrong and they fight like cats and dogs, well, who cares? We'll just have to make sure they behave themselves enough so our wedding goes as planned."

Lacus giggled. "That's very nice of you, Mr. Yamato."

Kira got up from the couch and set his mug of cocoa on the coffee table. "Guess I'll go make the calls now. Tomorrow for dinner right?"

"Yes, if they can."

As he picked up his phone in the other room, he hesitated. Who should he call first? It was easy to agree to Lacus's idea. However, he wasn't sure if he would be able to execute it. He was obviously at a disadvantage because if Athrun and Cagalli didn't like the idea, he would be the one getting skinned. Lacus, on the other hand, would be excused as always. Kira chuckled to himself. If anything, Lacus would probably be the one to save him if the coming dinner didn't turn out well.

It was true his sister was known for her fiery temper. If looks could kill, she would be charged with numerous of murders by now. She wasn't too kind when it came to the yelling department, nor did she ever bother to hide the karate skills that she mysteriously picked up. Kira still didn't know where she learned that stuff from. Sometimes he wondered whether his sister was the older twin after all, despite what their parents told them. Evidently, she was able to pull off the big sister aura that could easily make him cower.

There was something habitual about Cagalli's temper which made him a bit accustomed to it but Kira understood that the quiet ones were usually the scariest. Both Lacus and Athrun had a similar way of displaying their anger: the cold stare, the pursed lips, and the deadly silence which usually meant 'I'm waiting for you to explain yourself'. In a way, that was worse than Cagalli's yelling.

Kira sighed. He could only hope he was wrong about tomorrow's dinner. Perhaps Athrun and Cagalli wouldn't mind the maid of honour and best man idea and would actually be ecstatic about it. That would definitely be ideal. Mustering his courage, the groom-to-be dialed the number of his best friend and waited patiently for the line to get through.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- February 18, 71 C.E. - 2:20 PM -

"I thought you don't know how to skate."

The blonde gave Athrun a Cheshire cat smile as she skated backwards in front of him, matching his rhythm as he skated forward. "I didn't say I don't know how to skate. I said I know how to skate a little bit."

"So that's 'a little bit', huh?"

"Okay, fine. What I meant was I know how to skate but I'm a bit rusty since I haven't skated for a long time." Cagalli tilted her head slightly. "What's your problem anyways? Isn't it better for you since you don't have to spend your time over there?" She pointed to a small section of the indoor skating rink that was partitioned by bright orange pylons. Behind the pylons, there were mostly children learning how to skate from their parents.

Athrun shrugged, but didn't offer her an answer.

"I know what you're up to, Zala," she said, giving him a doubtful look.

The boy chuckled. Was he really being too obvious? Cagalli had kept her hands tucked neatly behind her back almost the entire time. On top of that, she was wearing a pair of mittens that, in his opinion, looked more like hand puppets. One of them resembled a light brown dog while the other one was a grey cat.

"What am I up to then?"

Cagalli's eyes widened a little, evidently surprised from his direct question. At that moment, Athrun swiftly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him just as her back touched something. She was too busy blushing at their close proximity to register what had just happened.

"Sorry, sir," Athrun apologized to the man in front of them, who was looking rather alarmed. It seemed Cagalli had accidently bumped into him. Nevertheless, the man gave them a smile and continued skating. Athrun gave Cagalli an amused look. "Maybe you should stop skating backwards now."

Just then, a loud buzz sounded throughout the skating rink, indicating half time. Everyone headed for the nearest exit so the ice could be smoothened.

Athrun and Cagalli sat on one of the side benches and watched the Zamboni machine circle around the skating rink. They were sitting silently, enjoying each other's company as they waited to get back on the ice. The indoor skating rink was huge and felt hollow since nearly all the seats of the stadium were empty. The air around them was cool but not too cold to the point of discomfort. It was a welcoming chill that actually felt a bit refreshing.

As Athrun watched his companion from the corner of his eyes, an idea hit him.

"Wh- Hey!" Cagalli said none too quietly as the cat mitten on her right hand was fluidly slipped off by the boy beside her. "Give that back!" She stood up, trying to get her beloved mitten back. Athrun stood up too, holding the mitten up to keep it out of her reach.

"No." He laughed when she jumped in her skates and tried to grab the grey object in his hand. "Where'd you get these anyways?"

"Why do you care?" she retorted as she kept trying to reach for the mitten with a determined face.

"They're cute."

Cagalli placed her hands on her hips and gave the boy an annoyed look when she realized there was no way she could just reach for her mitten. He was obviously taller than her. She would have to get them back another way. "I'll tell you where I got them if you give it back to me," she offered.

Athrun laughed as he slipped the mitten on his right hand and adjusted it a little. Oddly enough, it was a snug fit. "I don't care _that_ much about where you got them, you know?"

Cagalli pouted and thought for a moment as she glared at the blue-haired teen. "If you don't give my mitten back, I'm leaving," she threatened.

Only then, did the boy look startled. "Why?"

"Well, my hand's gonna be cold and I ain't skating with cold hands."

Athrun smiled mischievously. Despite how clever she was at times, she would still fall neatly into his traps. It took more than just a dazzling smile and a few flirtatious words to win her over. She had persistence and pride for what she believed in and didn't yield easily to a small push. It was one of the many things that he liked about her and made him realize she would be worth the chase. Even so, he would always win in the end and he knew his success at victory was not entirely because he could outsmart her, but because she liked him too.

But in this case, he won merely because she was too preoccupied with another battle.

"That's why you do this, you silly girl," Athrun chided as he grabbed Cagalli's right hand with his left and intertwined his fingers with hers. He watched as she promptly blushed. She turned away from him to watch the Zamboni machine finish its last round, maintaining her annoyed face.

"I knew it," she muttered. "You're just like all of _them_."

He laughed at her choice of words. "Well, yeah. I guess you're right. I'm just a guy after all," he agreed and gave her a boyish smile. "It would've been so much easier if you pretended you didn't know how to skate, but I guess you wouldn't really be Cagalli if you did that."

Cagalli smiled a little at his comment and turned towards him.

"Can I have my mitten back now that you're done exploiting it?"

"Nope, I don't want to be skating with cold hands either, you know?" Athrun moved the puppet-like mitten in a playful manner, causing her to laugh. "Come on, let's go," he said, as he led her by the hand towards the skating rink which now had a smooth surface of ice.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- March 15, 81 C.E. - 7:33 PM -

Cagalli watched with envy as Miriallia talked to Tolle. She couldn't hear what they were saying but all that laughing showed that they were having a pretty decent conversation.

They were currently at a restaurant for dinner, hosted by Kira and Lacus in order to announce their engagement. Many of their high school friends were present, and it surprised Cagalli that the engaged couple had actually kept in touch with so many of them. There were even several who used to be in the grades below them, but had become their good friends from meeting at clubs and sports teams. Cagalli had to admit that it was quite enjoyable since it felt a bit like a reunion party.

Dinner had already ended a while ago and everyone was currently dispersed throughout the restaurant which also acted as a bar lounge. Some had gone to play a game of pool or darts while others were socializing and having a drink at the bar. That was where Miriallia and Tolle were.

Cagalli was a little jealous at how easy those two were able to talk to one another despite their past relationship. Similar to her and Athrun, Mir and Tolle had dated and broken up during their high school years. Yet, it was strange how they could talk and laugh like they were good friends, especially since Tolle had cheated on Mir with a girl from another school. What was so different between Mir and Tolle's relationship and her own with Athrun?

It wasn't just Mir and Tolle either. She knew a lot of people who got along fine with their exes, so why did she have such a problem? Were their personalities preventing them from properly communicating? It was true that they weren't too talkative but that didn't explain the awkward atmosphere that appeared when they were together. She sometimes wondered if she would have the same problem with other exes, assuming she had any.

Then again, it wasn't like she cared that much. She was fine with not talking to that man and leaving the awkwardness that formed between them. However, she realized she was going to have to change that a bit lest she ends up ruining Kira and Lacus's wedding. It wouldn't be too difficult though; she just had to get along with him for the next several months. Yes, it would be no trouble at all.

Getting up, Cagalli proceeded to the bar to get a light drink. Regardless of the small distance, she was stopped short by a tanned blond who decided to stand in her path. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hey, how 'bout a game of pool?" Dearka offered.

Cagalli shrugged. "Sure?"

"Great." He quickly grabbed Cagalli by the wrist and dragged her towards the pool tables before she even had the chance to protest. They stopped at a particular table where a blue-haired man was leaning against it and applying chalk to the tip of his cue stick. "Yo, Athrun, I found your next opponent."

Cagalli blinked in confusion as Dearka released her.

"You're such a sore loser, Dearka. I've only beaten you once and you're already giving up," Athrun mocked.

"Hey, watch what you're saying. I'm not, what was that phrase, giving up? Ah, such a foreign phrase," Dearka joked. "I'm just taking a break and getting a drink. I can't exactly afford to waste so much time with you when there are so many pretty ladies around." The playboy turned around and gave them a wave before making his way to the bar.

Athrun chuckled at his friend's excuse. Turning his attention to Cagalli, he handed her the cue stick. "You still want to play?"

Having recovered from the confusion, she nodded determinedly and took the cue stick from him. "Of course."

Their game began with Cagalli claiming the stripes and Athrun claiming the solids by some silent agreement.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- February 18, 71 C.E. - 8:51 PM -

Athrun stood, leaning on the metal pole of the swing set as Cagalli sat on the swing.

After their time at the skating rink, they went to watch a movie at the nearby theatre and had dinner at a bistro. Athrun, being the gentleman that he was, offered to pay for Cagalli's meal but she had protested. It was something he had expected, and he was ready to protest back but he allowed her to pay in the end because of one statement.

"_You can't pay for me every time we go out! You're going to end up broke!"_

He had wanted to tease her and ask what made her think they were going to go out on a date again. In the end, he was smart enough to hold his tongue and just let her pay. The fact that she wanted to go out with him again was good enough. He knew she had feelings for him but even then, he couldn't be confident she wouldn't change her mind after a single date.

They were currently at a park near their homes. It was already dark but he found himself unable to refuse when Cagalli asked if they could stop by the park with a childlike expression. Fortunately, it wasn't too cold that night. There was snow covering the floor and Athrun could still see his own breath as he breathed. Nevertheless, the temperature felt warmer than usual for a winter night.

"Hey, do you have to be home or something?" Cagalli asked when she caught him spacing out.

"Uh, not really. Why?" He answered, snapping out of his reverie.

"I was just wondering since it was my idea to stop by the park. I don't want you to get in trouble because you missed curfew or something," she replied while swinging.

"I don't really have a curfew. I'm not sure my father's even home."

Cagalli nodded, not entirely sure what to say. She knew his father was a busy man and that their father and son relationship was a little tense. Ever since Athrun's mother passed away the year before, his father seemed to have shut himself away as well.

"What about you? Don't you need to get home? I mean you're a girl and all..." he trailed off.

The blonde narrowed her eyes at him. "Sexist," she muttered.

Athrun laughed nervously. "Well, it just seems like parents tend to be more strict with their daughters..."

"I don't have a curfew either. Anyway, my parents trust you more than they trust me," she said, offhandedly.

"Maybe you need to be more responsible then," he teased.

"But I am responsible!"

"Are you sure about that? Do you remember that time when you blew up my and Kira's science project in the backyard? Or how about when you borrowed my phone and accidently dropped it in the pond?"

Cagalli stopped swinging abruptly by placing her feet on the floor. She swiftly hopped off the swing, approached him and punched him lightly on the arm. "Don't be mean or else I might have to reconsider seeing you."

"I was only kidding," Athrun said with an amused smile.

The blonde continued to pout, evidently displeased with his teasing.

He took her mittened hands and held them in his exposed ones. "I apologize then," he said sincerely.

"Whatever," she mumbled. Her cheeks were a bit pink, partially because of the cold temperature and partially because of him. "I still haven't paid you back for that phone yet, right?" She bit her lower lip, obviously guilty at the memory.

The boy chuckled. "It's okay. Don't worry about it; I was just joking."

Cagalli stared at him sheepishly, looking like a lost puppy.

Through the moonlight, Athrun could see how pretty she was even without makeup. There was something about her that was just beyond conventional beauty and it captivated him to no end. Leaning in slightly, he asked in a quiet whisper: "Can I kiss you?"

Cagalli blinked, dazed at his question. Despite the cool night air, her cheeks were heating up and turning a deep shade of red. She nodded slowly and closed her eyes as a shy smile graced her lips.

He leaned closer until their foreheads were touching and the wisps of his breaths were washing over her cheeks. He thought he could faintly hear the loud beating of their hearts. Lightly, Athrun sealed her lips with his. It was an innocent and curious feeling. He moved his lips gently while she reciprocated, following his lead. It was a sweet and chaste kiss, a first kiss, which was like a promise for the many more to come.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- March 15, 81 C.E. - 7:55 PM -

Athrun watched as Cagalli sunk the last ball on the pool table: the eight ball.

"Yes!" The blonde woman cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

"No need to be so excited. That was just luck, Cagalli," he told her.

The winner of the game narrowed her eyes at him. "Who's the sore loser now? I totally won with my skills. Just admit it, I'm good at pool," she argued, placing a hand on her hip.

Through their game, the tension between them seemed to have diminished. He was uncertain whether it was because she decided to let down her barriers or because he was finally trying to break through. They didn't talk much as they played but through the last twenty minutes, he felt that bitter atmosphere between them slowly dissipate. It was still there, but it had lessened nonetheless.

Athrun nodded. "You're right. I guess you're pretty good. Whoever taught you how to play must be even better then," he replied with a cunning smile.

Cagalli laughed a carefree laugh he hadn't heard for a long time and punched him lightly on the arm. "Very funny, Zala." She placed her cue stick on the pool table and headed for the bar.

Dearka, who had been watching the last several minutes of their match on the side, rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot, Zala."

Athrun looked at his friend questioningly. "What?"

"You let her win, didn't you?"

He shrugged. "What makes you think that?"

Dearka scoffed indignantly as he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on. "If you played like that earlier, even I would've won."

"You want to play again then? I'll go easy on you this time."

Dearka gave him an annoyed look. "Very funny, _Zala_." He headed for the bar as well after repeating Cagalli's words, putting emphasis on the way she previously addressed the blue-haired man.

Athrun placed his cue stick beside Cagalli's. From his position, he could see her talking to Kira by the bar. He wondered whether she was talking about her win in their match. As he watched her talk animatedly, he realized he didn't know where to go from here. He hated the fact that his heart still raced whenever he saw her. Maybe agreeing to be Kira's best man wasn't such a good idea after all; He didn't want to lose all over again.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I wanted to introduce Kira and Lacus through the dinner scene so even though Kira and Lacus's discussion occurs before that, I decided to write it in this chapter instead. I sort of like writing things out of order so that might happen in future chapters as well...but we'll see. I'm not sure I can handle the mess, plus, it might start to get confusing for you readers.

There are some things I write from experience (usually trivial things) like how the skating places I used to go to smooth their ice in the middle of the skating session. Just wanted to clarify that in case that's not how all skating rinks work and some of you are wondering: "Why are they smoothening the ice all of a sudden?!". On the other hand, I don't actually know how to play pool so that's from research. 8)

It feels like it's been a long time since I posted chapter one but it's only been a week. Bet that's how it feels for everyone when they update their first multi-chaptered story for the first time. :P

Please review! :D

(March 15, 2013)


	3. Chapter 03

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny.

* * *

**Chapter 03: Reality**

- March 18, 81 C.E. - 12:00 PM -

"Yes. Yes, Mrs Cohen, if you can come by to speak to him tomorrow, that would be great. The morning? Let me check." Cagalli looked through the list that was pinned to the bulletin board beside her. It was her boss's schedule for the week and as usual, there were a fair amount of empty slots. It wasn't that business was bad. Quite the contrary actually, since her boss was a relatively well-known lawyer. Thus, Cagalli could never figure out why her boss had so much free time on his hands.

"Okay, ten am sounds good. I'll let him know," Cagalli informed the woman on the other line. "What? Your file? Uh...yeah, h-he's gone over it." She stared at the folder in her hands with the client's name written on the side. "Sure. I will see you tomorrow then, Mrs Cohen. Have a good day." She placed the phone back on the receiver.

"It's not nice to lie, Athha." A tall young man with straight platinum hair and smooth fair skin smirked at her as he stood in front of her desk.

"Shut up, Yzak. What do you want?" Cagalli grabbed a sticky note on the side of her desk and wrote '10am' on it before sticking it on the folder in her hand. She stared up at the man in front of her.

She never believed the world to be a small place but apparently, it was. She remembered when she first came to the firm to apply for the job and had been surprised to see Yzak here. They knew each other in high school and weren't the best of friends, mainly because he didn't get along too well with the guy who was her boyfriend at that time. Now, things weren't better but they were mature enough not to go biting each other's necks off.

"You had a good time at the dinner the other day. I saw you playing pool with Zala," he commented.

"So what?"

"I hate to burst your bubble but you only won because he was going easy on you," he said, giving her a smug look.

"Mm." Cagalli answered absentmindedly as she skimmed through the folder to make sure it was ready for her boss. "You're just jealous because you never beat him in pool before. It's okay, Yzak. If you beg a little, I might be willing to give you some pointers."

Yzak glared at her. "You're a liar."

"What?" She looked at him, not understanding what he meant.

"I'm sure the client appreciates you for lying about her file," he continued.

"Look, he's gonna read it now; There's no harm done. You know how time efficient he is," she said, gesturing at the semi-empty schedule on the bulletin board. "Of course, it's hard for you to understand that since your schedule is always packed. Your next appointment is in ten minutes. The meeting room's ready for you to use."

Cagalli got up from her seat, ignoring the young lawyer's glare. She knocked on the door to her boss's office.

"Come in."

The blonde braced herself and stepped into a messy room with an overwhelming scent of coffee. The coat rack was lying on its side beside a potted plant which she had been lucky enough to save. The couch and coffee table in the corner were littered with files, binders, and CDs. Even the shelves that lined the right wall were messy, with books sticking out here and there.

The desk was no better with its opened folders and notes sprawled all over. An olive skinned man with short brown hair was fiddling with the coffee machine on his desk. Not bothering to look up, he asked: "What's up, kitten?"

Cagalli cringed at the pet name; she hated it. Bending down, she picked up the bronze name plate that had fallen from the messy table and put it back in place. It read: "Andrew Waltfeld".

"Mrs. Cohen's file. She'll be dropping by tomorrow morning at ten." She placed the folder on a particular spot of his messy desk which she had learned was the 'unread files' spot.

"Great, thanks a lot," replied the man more commonly known as 'Andy'. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Not really. Shouldn't you be getting ready though? You have a trial at one."

He gave her an incredulous look. "I am getting ready. You can't go to a trial without a cup of coffee right?"

"Um, right?" The young clerk responded uncertainly.

"Blacker than a moonless night, hotter and more bitter than hell itself... That is coffee. [1]" Andy added some black powdery substance before taking a sip. "Ah, perfect."

"Okay..." Cagalli was a little freaked out by her boss's coffee obsession. She couldn't help but wonder, and worry, if he would die from caffeine overdose one day. "...So when is Aisha coming back?" She asked, quickly changing the subject.

"In a few days. Why? It seems you miss her more than I do." The lawyer gave her a lopsided grin at the mention of his girlfriend who was on vacation.

Cagalli did miss her. Ever since she started working at this firm, Aisha was like an older sister to her. Aisha was kind and caring, but unlike a mother hen. The older lady was also clever and had a way with words that allowed her to drive her arguments through. Consequently, it didn't come as a surprise then, that she was also a great lawyer at Waltfeld and Associates. Although Aisha occasionally takes cases on her own, she usually prefers to act as Andy's aid.

The two lawyers worked well together and did not bother to keep their work and love life separate. Astonishingly, they rarely fought, though they had playful quarrels on a regular basis. Cagalli had to admit that the duo were, ironically, perfect 'partners in crime'.

"I just feel sorry for her for when she gets back." The blonde woman gestures around the room. "Look at the mess she has to clean up."

"Hey hey, that's no mess," Andy said, wagging his finger. "Everything is where it should be so don't you go about moving stuff around now, kitten."

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Like I would bother. And quit calling me that," she retorted. Truthfully, she had to admit that she liked her boss. Even though the guy was a bit quirky, he had a good sense of humour and was very laid back. "I'm going for lunch. Don't forget to read the file before tomorrow," she added before heading out the door.

"Enjoy your lunch then, _Princess_."

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 20, 71 C.E. - 11:58 PM -

"On November 22, 60 C.E., the rising tension within the PLANT supreme council finally led to a civil war," the elderly teacher read from his textbook.

Cagalli, similar to all her classmates, was staring at her textbook trying to follow the passage being read. Undoubtedly, her mind had drifted off to some faraway place long ago. She didn't understand the purpose of teachers reading the textbook to the class. Did they think their students were incapable of reading?

"Due to this conflict, many PLANT citizens immigrated to numerous countries both across the globe and in other parts of space. As a result, the decline in the PLANT population led to a significant economic recession."

The school bell sounded and outside the closed doors of the classroom, students could be heard scrambling to their lockers. In the history classroom, the instructor continued to read despite the small shuffling noises caused by the students trying to silently pack up.

"The war lasted for approximately five years and officially ended on January 4, 66 C.E." The old man sighed. "Yes, yes, I know the bell rang; Just one more minute. Now listen, Orb was one of the countries that accepted most of the immigrants and refugees of this civil war even though it happened so distant from us. I'm sure you already know that many of your friends may well be a native citizen of the PLANT. For tomorrow, I want everyone to write a paragraph or two on how this affected Orb and how Orb addressed particular issues that arose from the influx of immigrants. That is all; you're dismissed."

Cagalli made a beeline for the door just as her teacher finished speaking. With her backpack hanging off one shoulder, she headed to her locker to put away the thick history textbook in her arm. The everyday sounds of the hallway could be heard as most of the students headed to lunch. She manoeuvred through the crowd in the hall with great difficulty and an annoyed expression. Cagalli could not understand why her schoolmates like to congregate and chitchat while standing in the middle of the hallway. As she finally approached her locker, the sight of a familiar boy came into view.

She smiled as she greeted her boyfriend. "Hey."

"Hey, how was history class?" Athrun asked.

"Boring as usual. I think we were learning something about immigration and the PLANT civil war." Cagalli opened her locker and roughly stuffed her heavy textbook inside.

"PLANT civil war, huh?" The blue-haired teen said, with a thoughtful expression.

She nodded as she closed her locker. "Yup. You came here during that time too right? To Orb?"

Athrun naturally took her hand as they started walking towards the cafeteria. "Yeah. My father was afraid the economy would collapse and since he had a small branch of his business here in Orb, he decided to come here and focus on that instead."

"Mm. Is that why he's always so busy these days? Because he's turning his attention back to his business in the PLANTs since the economy is stable now?"

Athrun nodded. "I guess you can say that."

Upon entering the crowded cafeteria, they headed for the table where their friends regularly occupied. Their cafeteria was a huge room lined with rows of tables. A separate room was connected where the teenagers could buy lunch if they wished. Unfortunately, a long line-up was a daily occurrence in the serving room and in Cagalli's opinion, the overly priced and unhealthy food sold there was just not worth her time. In one corner of the cafeteria, there were several vending machines that sold junk food and soft drinks which were also overly priced.

"Hey Cagalli, are you free this Friday?" Dearka asked as the couple approached the table. The table consisted of a good number of people. Beside Dearka, Kira and Lacus were sitting together while Miriallia and her boyfriend, Tolle, were sitting across from them. Further down the table, sat Yzak and a talented young pianist named Nicol.

"Maybe. Why? Are you going to ask me out?" She replied and batted her eyelashes at him uncharacteristically.

Her boyfriend chuckled good-naturedly as he sat down beside Dearka while Cagalli took the seat across from him, sitting beside Miriallia.

The tanned young man rolled his eyes. "We're having a fundraising car wash for the phys ed. department on Friday. Are you coming?"

"Athrun told me about that," Cagalli said as she took out a sandwich from her backpack. She raised an eyebrow. "But why should I come? It's not like I have a car for you to wash."

"You can help out."

She laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, right. No thanks."

"I told you she wouldn't," Miriallia butted in.

Dearka frowned at the two girls. "Why not? I thought you're in the volleyball team," he asked the blonde.

Cagalli chewed thoughtfully on her sandwich. "That's true. But, the money for your car wash is going towards the phys ed. department not to the sports teams so I don't think there will be any benefit for us aside from getting better equipment. And the volleyball team doesn't need new equipments right now therefore," she paused for effect and waited for Dearka's frown to deepen more. "It's none of my business."

"But Athrun's helping out!" Dearka cried. The boy beside him looked up from his lunch box at the sound of his name.

"I don't care. What's that got to do with me?" Cagalli shouted back. She was lucky the cafeteria was already a rowdy place or else her loud voice would have interrupted the peaceful conversation between Kira, Lacus, Nicol, and Yzak.

"It's the perfect opportunity for you to see your boyfriend shirtless!" Dearka retorted.

Cagalli felt blood rushing to her face and all she could do was glare at Dearka since her brain refused to come up with a good response to his reasoning. She noticed that Athrun had been tickled pink as well and he was gaping slightly, surprised at Dearka's statement.

Miriallia laughed. "Hey, you didn't tell me about that. Who else is going to be there?" She asked. Tolle gives her a funny look which she laughs off. "I was just kidding," she reassures him.

"So how 'bout it?" Dearka asked Cagalli.

She shook her head. "Forget it, Dearka. If you want someone to do free labour for you, then look somewhere else."

"Damn it, I was so sure you would have said yes to that." The hopeless teenager pouted.

Miriallia smiled mischievously. "Maybe she sees Athrun shirtless a lot more than we think."

Cagalli groaned and put her hands to her face in annoyance from her friends' teasing. Of course, the action also served to cover up her cheeks which she guessed was probably crimson by now.

For the rest of the lunch period, she could not look directly at her boyfriend without feeling her face heat up.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- March 25, 81 C.E. - 2:46 PM -

Athrun Zala stood in front of the full length window of the lounge he was in, holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee. From the level he was on, the other side of the window overlooked a large factory warehouse below where mechanics in uniforms of orange and blue were working. More importantly, the window was approximately shoulder length to several giant machines that loomed over the workers.

As an engineer who played a major role in developing the new mobile suits in front of him, Athrun couldn't help but feel proud. He worked at a company called Morgenroete and helped in the construction of various types of machines that were used as a part of the military and national defenses of Orb. Once in a while, he would also assist in designing machines for industrial uses. However, Athrun had to admit that his interests lied more with the military weapons than the industrial equipments. It wasn't that he liked fighting or war, or felt the need for excessive protection for their country. He just simply liked the machines. There was something majestic about their stances that were somewhat human-like and it was amazing how such magnificent machines can made from giant scraps of metals.

Being born in a family who owned a well-known electronics company, Athrun grew up tinkering with gadgets. By the age of five, he was able to accurately disassemble and reassemble his radio alarm clock and by the age of nine, he was able to put together a computer provided he had the parts. While other children preferred to run around outside in the sun, he spent a good portion of his childhood in-doors with various types of electronics. He even learned a bit of programming through researching and invented small machineries that helped his mother with household chores. He remembered the way his mother had praised him with her loving smile.

"_That's wonderful, Athrun! Your father will be so proud of you when you take over for him at Zala Corp."_

He couldn't imagine what his father would be saying now. At one point of his life, he had been confused whether or not he wanted to take over for his father. It was true that his family owned an electronics company but the truth was, running a company had nothing to do with developing electronics. His father had tried to dissuade him of that and convince him to double major in engineering and business which would pave his path towards working at the family company. Athrun had eventually agreed and unbeknownst to him, became his father's puppet by enrolling at ZAFT University in the PLANTs.

Patrick Zala was a meticulous man and he had callously pulled strings against his own son in an effort to achieve what he wanted. It didn't take long for Athrun to realize his father was the reason why his professors discriminated against him. They denied him of opportunities and purposely marked unfairly to ensure he barely crossed the passing line. Patrick Zala wanted his son to be forced out of his engineering studies to focus on business instead. Being the prominent figure that he was in the PLANTs due to his company, he was able to direct his plan effortlessly.

When Athrun eventually confronted his father about the issue, his father admitted to his wrongdoings and explained that he only wanted Athrun to wake up from his 'foolish dream'.

"_You're the rightful heir to Zala Corp. This is for your own good, Athrun!"_

He felt betrayed and the pain only multiplied from the fact that it was by his own father. From that day on, he never spoke to his father again. Athrun eventually left ZAFT University and with the money he inherited from his mother, travelled to Heliopolis, a small space colony of the Orb nation. There, he was lucky enough to enroll in the small but budding SEED University. Through his hardworking efforts, he was able to land a spot in the joint engineering program led by SEED and Morgenroete and upon graduation, he quickly moved back to Orb to work for the company.

Athrun was happy. This was what he wanted to do with his life and even though he had to give up so much for it, it had been worth it. If he could choose again, he would probably choose differently. But even with that one regret that remained in the back of his mind, he knew he was happy now. After all, you can't have everything.

At the pneumatic hissing of an opening door, the engineer turned around and watched as his best friend entered the lounge.

"Oh great, you're here. I heard Chief Simmons is looking for you," Kira said.

Athrun nodded. One of the perks of working at Morgenroete was that he got to work with his best friend. Kira worked in a different department but they bumped into each other occasionally. The brunet was a programmer and so, they often worked on different areas of the same project. "I'll head over in a bit."

Kira walked over to his friend, standing beside him by the window. He too, gazed at the mobile suits with a content smile. "I can't believe they're finally done. It feels like just yesterday when we started looking over the blueprints."

"Yeah," the blue-haired man replied absentmindedly. It was a great feeling to be finishing a project they've been working on for the last year. "We're already starting the blueprints for the next series though. It's going to be hectic for the next few months. A great time to be planning a wedding, yes?"

Kira laughed. "Sorry. You know it's best for Lacus in the summer since she's a teacher and all. She'll be on summer break."

"I suppose. It'll probably be tough for you," Athrun said as he patted his best friend on the shoulder.

"I don't mind. Just remember what you and Cagalli promised me."

He felt his heart stir at the name. Eyeing his friend questioningly, he asked: "How come you were never ...I don't know, mad at me? Because of what happened between Cagalli and I."

The talented programmer shrugged. "It's normal, isn't it, for people to date and break up? It's not like I expected you and Cagalli to break up from the start but from the point you two started dating, I told myself that I shouldn't be too involved in your relationship. Cagalli's my sister and you're my best friend. Of course, I was upset when you two broke up, especially since you were both miserable about it but I tried my best not to interfere. To be honest, I guess I just trusted the two of you."

Athrun smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Kira." He couldn't help but realize the similarity between the two twins. They were both childlike in their ways, yet they possessed a sort of unspoken wisdom that only became visible in the most unsuspecting moments.

Kira smiled back. "Well, that doesn't mean I'm not curious though. Neither of you really explained why you broke up..."

"What did Cagalli tell you?" Athrun asked curiously, after he downed the rest of his coffee.

"'It didn't work out'," his best friend answered. "There's got to be a better explanation, right?"

The young engineer gave his friend a melancholic smile. Chucking his Styrofoam cup into the garbage can nearby, he proceeded to head back to work.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 20, 71 C.E. - 5:09 PM -

Cagalli strode through the empty hallway of her school in a plain t-shirt and a pair of comfortable sweat pants. Her blonde hair was tied in a messy ponytail which swung side to side as she walked. She readjusted her backpack and also the small green duffel bag over her left shoulder which contained her day clothes and a pair of shorts which she wore during her volleyball practice. She pushed open one of the backdoors of the school and exited the building, feeling the pleasant breeze on her bare neck. Just a little away from her, two teenagers were playing basketball using the hoops on the school grounds.

The older one, a tall lean boy with light brown hair and faint freckles, spotted her first. "I guess our game ends here."

Athrun stared at his friend quizzically before turning around and noticing the blonde. He smiled and passed the basketball to his friend. "Yeah. You win then. I'll get you next time."

The other boy laughed playfully. "We'll see about that."

Cagalli smiled as Athrun approached her after retrieving his backpack from the floor. "You can play longer, you know. I don't mind waiting."

"It's okay," he replied, as he took her duffel bag with one hand while the other hand casually interlaced with hers. "I was losing anyways," he whispered, causing her to laugh.

The air felt fresh and had that special scent of spring. The sky was filled with puffy cotton-like clouds while the sun occasionally peaked from behind them. The two teenagers walked quietly down an empty sidewalk, occasionally glancing at a car that passed by. Ever since they started dating, their days were like this: full of happiness and bliss. They took the initiative to wait for each other just to spend some more time in the other's presence.

But there was something about this that felt idealistic and Cagalli knew she shouldn't be taking it for granted. She had heard stories about couples going through the different phases of a relationship and obviously, the two of them were still in the honeymoon stage. She wasn't rose-tinted enough not to realize that reality wasn't always full of flowers and rainbows. As a teenager, she was already old enough to understand that life wasn't always about what you want and what you get, but what you have. Despite that, she was determined to try her best in the near future should they begin to stumble along the cracks and rocks along their journey.

"What are you thinking about?" Athrun asked quietly.

"...Flowers and rainbows?" Cagalli watched as the boy gave her a confused look and she laughed at his expression. "Just kidding..."

"Alright then..." He quickly changed the subject, cutting to the point. "Are you sure you don't want to come help this Friday? There's no school that day."

The blonde shook her head, causing her ponytail to swerve back and forth. "No. I thought I already made it clear."

"I just wanted to make sure. Dearka's argument was pretty convincing, after all," Athrun teased, earning him a playful jab to his ribs.

"It's not that. I'm just busy that day," she paused and looked up at him seriously. "Kira and I are going to visit our parents. Our birth parents, I mean."

The blue-haired teenager nodded, feeling guilty.

Every year, the twins went to visit the graves of their birth parents. At the age of three, Kira and Cagalli's birth parents had passed away due to a house fire incident. In honour of them, Kira took on their mother's last name while Cagalli took on their father's. They were then adopted by the Hibiki's, who were close family friends.

"I'm sorry, I forgot." He gave her hand a light squeeze.

Cagalli shook her head again. "It's okay. It's not like I expect you to remember something like that." She smiled at him. "Actually, mom was saying that you should come with us but I told her you're busy."

"Oh. Well, I can always tell Dea-"

"No, don't. I mean, since you already have plans," she said uncertainly. "It also feels a bit weird..."

Athrun frowned. "What's weird?"

"Bringing you to my parent's graves?" Cagalli responded hesitantly. "I don't know. Isn't that kind of awkward since we've only dated for two months?"

Her boyfriend smiled understandingly. "If you think so."

The two teenagers stopped as they reached a fork in the road. One path was surrounded by trees and led to a more secluded area where Athrun's home was. The other path curved and Cagalli's was just beyond that corner.

"Anyway, I'm sure the girls that do help out at the car wash will be grateful if you show up. It's not every day you get to see a shirtless Athrun Zala," Cagalli said, in a joking manner.

Athrun chuckled. "Aren't you going to be jealous then?"

The blonde nodded and gave him a cute smile. "Just this much." She showed him her index finger and thumb, separated by a space of only half a centimeter.

The boy laughed, as he handed her the green duffel bag. "I was expecting a little more."

Cagalli shrugged. "Too bad. You can't have everything, you know."

"Fine," Athrun replied fairly. "Can I at least have one thing then?"

"What?"

He held her in place by the arm and quickly stole a kiss from her clever mouth before she had the chance to respond.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry if this chapter was a little long and not too interesting to read. It's mostly for me to provide some background information about the characters and just show what their daily lives are like. Since there are so many ideas from the GS universe that's present here, I just want to clarify that I won't be discussing about 'Naturals vs. Coordinators' because it's not relevant to the story. Whether or not you'd like for it to exist in this universe, I will leave up to you.

[1] Blacker than a moonless night, hotter and more bitter than hell itself... That is coffee. - Godot from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourney - Trials and Tribulations

The idea of having Andrew Waltfeld as a coffee-obsessing lawyer was so mysteriously fitting. I eventually realized it's because he reminds me of Godot from the AA series in terms of their personalities, looks, and coffee addiction. So... I just had to put a Godot quote in there. :P Using 'kitten' as a pet name is also something Godot does. There seems to be some character merging thing going on in my head but I'll try my best to keep the two separate. D:

(March 22, 2013)


	4. Chapter 04

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny.

**Author's Note:** So I developed this very bad habit of opening my story file, writing a couple of words (or a sentence at most), and then minimizing it to do something else. Thus, I had quite a hard time getting through this chapter but it surprisingly turned out okay. By the end, I have to say I'm quite satisfied with it and it ended up longer than I thought it would. Yay!

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapters; it really means a lot especially when one is feeling unmotivated to write. 8) It feels as though my time of reading-and-not-reviewing is coming back to get me. Heh.

Sorry, Mirarun, I didn't really understand your question. ): On a side note, I would like to point out that maid of honour and bridesmaid are sort of analogous in this story since Lacus is only having one bridesmaid. (Same idea for best man and groomsmen)

* * *

**Chapter 04: Careless **

- March 25, 81 C.E. - 7:21 PM -

"_Well, that doesn't mean I'm not curious though. Neither of you really explained why you broke up..." _

"_What did Cagalli tell you?" Athrun asked curiously, after he downed the rest of his coffee._

"'_It didn't work out'," Kira answered. "There's got to be a better explanation, right?"_

In a modestly decorated apartment lot, a blue-haired man sat at the dining table, eating silently from his takeout box. The TV was on but there was no sound.

Athrun munched on fried rice as he stared at a single spot on his dining table. His conversation with Kira from earlier that day kept repeating in his mind and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. A part of him wanted to tell his best friend the truth: he was the one that ended the relationship. He was the one that left Cagalli.

"_Who was that girl you were with yesterday?"_

"_Her name is Lucine. She's the daughter of my father's friend. We're going to ZAFT together so we've been getting to know each other."_

"_Oh..."_

He also couldn't help but wonder why Cagalli hadn't told Kira the truth. Did she hide it so his relationship with Kira wouldn't hit the rocks? He wasn't so sure about that. It seemed reasonable that the blonde would have told her twin brother something so important. Athrun had been pretty certain Kira knew the truth all this time which was the reason why he asked Kira why he had never mad. However, Athrun was wrong.

"_I like her."_

"_..."_

"_Cagalli, look... after a few more months, we're going to have to separate anyways... It's not going to work. I'm going to be up there in space, you'll be here, and we'll just end up second guessing each other. I don't want our relationship to end that way so... let's just make a clean cut now."_

Of course, Athrun Zala had been wrong about a lot of things. When he told Cagalli he wanted to break up, he had expected more of a fight from her. There were so many possibilities that had coursed through his mind. He didn't think she would cling to him desperately and ask him to stay like a poor damsel; that was not in her personality. What he had envisioned was a lot of yelling, perhaps some screaming, and probably a slap or a punch.

"_We could have a long distance relationship but no, you don't even want to try! You'd rather just find someone else, right?! Because it's that easy for you to find another girl? Fine...fine then. I don't want to waste time on someone who already found somebody else."_

But it hadn't been violent at all. There were tears and there was a little bit of yelling but that was it. Athrun couldn't understand it and he still didn't understand. Cagalli was not the type to give up so easily but she hadn't tried to talk back or knock some sense into him. Was she angry at him because of that other girl? Was it the betrayal that caused her to stay quiet?

Athrun felt his heart sink a little. Perhaps she didn't love him enough either; maybe that was why she let go so easily.

Getting up to distract himself from unwanted thoughts, he moved over to his computer to surf to net after throwing away the empty takeout box. At that moment, his phone sounded and he took it out. He smiled a bit as he read the text:

_Athrun, are you free for dinner next weekend? I miss you. It's been a while since you've visited it._

He quickly texted his response before placing his cell phone on a metal holder on top of his computer desk. Beside the holder, a grey cat mitten stood on a small wooden stand which had a blue folded sticky note taped at the bottom, its contents hidden from the world.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 5, 81 C.E. - 5:32 PM -

Cagalli tapped her fingers against the steering wheel and stared at the pedestrian light as the countdown began: ten seconds until the lights turned green.

Her brother once told her that she was a reckless driver but when you drove in the city, how reckless could you get? The streets were crowded with traffic lights every few steps and even if she was reckless, she wouldn't risk charging through the lights since there would always be that one stupid guy who attempted to cross the streets right before the pedestrian light turned green. It was stupid, really, to start crossing when the traffic light above was yellow since for most people, it meant 'accelerate'.

When Cagalli finally entered the suburban areas, the emptier roads made her breathe a sigh of relief. She did not like driving and would prefer not to if she had the choice. She barely drove on a daily basis since walking and taking public transit was convenient enough for her. However, she did have a car and license for occasions when she had to leave the city such as today. Turning into a small neighbourhood, she realized the roads have changed a bit. It must have been a while since she last visited her mother and the thought made her feel a little guilty.

As she parked her car carefully behind her brother's, she smiled and silently thanked her neglected car for its hard work. She got out and was greeted by a pretty red brick house with its neatly mowed lawn and garden of tulips. After ringing the doorbell, her mother quickly emerged from inside to greet her.

"Cagalli!" Via Hibiki gave her daughter a hug.

"Hi, mom." The blonde hugged back. She noted that her mother looked the same as always with her clear purple eyes and shoulder length brown hair with minimal grey ones interspersed throughout. It always amazed her how she and Kira seemed to resemble their mother when she wasn't the one who had actually given birth to them. Cagalli stepped inside as her mom began lecturing her on how she should visit as frequently as her brother to which the blonde nodded repeatedly.

"Anyway, come and help Lacus and me in the kitchen. Your brother is off fixing something for me upstairs."

"Sure." Cagalli walked into the kitchen with her mother and greeted Lacus who smiled back warmly. That was when she noticed what was sitting on the island counter.

"Wrapped cabbage? You're making wrapped cabbage?" The blonde asked.

"Yes," her mother answered simply as she resumed helping Lacus who was giggling softly.

"Why are you making wrapped cabbage?" Cagalli asked her mother skeptically.

"Why do you think?" The older woman asked back with a knowing smile.

Cagalli frowned. Her dad used to love the dish but after his death, there was only one occasion when her mom would make wrapped cabbage. It wasn't that no one else in their family liked it but even so, her mother now only made wrapped cabbage when a particular guest was over.

"I thought this was a family dinner..." she muttered, as she washed her hands by the sink.

"Oh, it is. All of you grew up together so Athrun is like half my son," Via said. "He hasn't visited in a long time so I thought I'd make his favourite dish since he's coming over."

"That's nice. I don't come often either and you're not making _my_ favourite dish," Cagalli retorted childishly.

Via smiled sternly at her daughter. "Well, perhaps _you_ need to come more often instead."

The blonde pouted as she helped her soon-to-be sister-in-law with making the wrapped cabbages while her mother sprinkled various herb and sauces into a boiling pot of noodles by the stove. "How are the wedding plans going, Lacus?"

The lady in question smiled. "To be honest, we haven't done much yet. Kira and I are still browsing around for the right venues but we did find a nice dress shop that does very beautiful photo shoots! I brought the dress catalogue over. Perhaps we'll take a look at it after dinner?"

"Sure," Cagalli noted the way Lacus's eyes sparkled with excitement and smiled as well. "Will you be picking out a dress for me or... ?"

"Hm... Is it alright if I choose a few dresses for you to pick from? I think I have an idea of what I'd like you to wear for the ceremony," Lacus said thoughtfully. "You can choose your own dress for the reception though."

"Okay, that sounds good," Cagalli replied easily. Dress shopping was not her forte and she definitely trusted Lacus's taste. After all, the pink-haired lady was marrying her twin brother.

Just then, the door bell chimed and Via quickly wiped her hands on a towel while saying excitedly: "That must be Athrun."

Cagalli rolled her eyes at her mother's excitement and listened as the older woman went to get the door. As expected, she heard her mother eagerly inviting Athrun inside.

"Ah, you didn't have to bring something like this," Via said as Athrun handed her a gift basket full of fruits and flowers.

"I didn't want to come empty handed," He replied casually. "I'm sorry for not visiting for so long."

"It's alright, dear." Via gazed down at the basket and sighed. "I know someone who could really learn from you."

Inside the kitchen, Cagalli sighed too, for a very different reason while Lacus gave her an amused smile.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- June 10, 71 C.E. - 8:07 PM -

A young teenager stared hard at her notebook with furrowed brows, trying to figure out what she did wrong. She had been stuck on the same question for almost twenty minutes now and she was on the verge of giving up. Math was tiring and it was a surprise her concentration had lasted this long anyways. Cagalli looked up with a troubled expression and frowned at her boyfriend, who was sitting innocently across the table holding a large bowl of chips.

They were currently sitting in the basement of Athrun's house. It was similar to a second living room and even though the boy claimed he usually does his homework down here, Cagalli wondered how that was possible with so much distraction around. There was the usual TV with its gaming consoles but in addition, this room also housed several retro arcade machines, a pool table, a ping pong table and an air hockey table. There was even a mini fridge and cabinets for snacks. In addition, a smaller home theatre room was attached which was where they gathered with their friends on a movie night.

They weren't in a massive mansion which had its own wrought iron gates, finely trimmed hedges, and beautiful stone fountains. Although judging from the photos around the house, the blonde knew that that was the kind of home Athrun's family did have back in the PLANTs. Nevertheless, his current home was still amongst the larger houses that were located in the quieter region of the neighbourhood. Cagalli had to admit she was impressed at the fact that her boyfriend didn't turn out to become a snobbish brat despite being born in such a privileged family. She figured it was because he had an amazingly kind mother by the name of Lenore.

"Are you...done?" Athrun asked, snapping Cagalli out of her thoughts.

"I-... well..." Cagalli's frown deepened before turning her attention back to her notebook. "I don't know!" She said exasperatedly. "What's wrong with it? The answer in the textbook says it's supposed to be 2387 and I swear I did everything right but my answer is still wrong!"

Athrun chuckled and handed the bowl of chips to her. The idea had been that she would only get any if she got the answers right but at this rate, he would have to finish the chips by himself. "First of all, you got the concepts right and used the correct equations, so that's good."

The blonde teenager nodded as she ate the barbeque chips. "Okay, so then what did I do wrong?"

"Well, maybe you can explain to me why the plus sign suddenly became a minus sign when you rewrote the equation from line three to line four."

"Wha-..." Cagalli looked down at her notebook, noticing the mistake for the first time. "No way! _That's_ what I did wrong?! I was stuck for so long because of a careless mistake?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"No one's going to tell you on the exam tomorrow, Cagalli," he said calmly and she sighed dejectedly. "I think you're just tired and stressed. Want to take a break?"

She pouted but shook her head stubbornly. "One more question. I'm not taking a break until I get this right!"

Athrun laughed at her enthusiasm and leaned closer to watch her write furiously in her notebook. Her writing was an odd scrawl that was not unreadable but still messy. He was used to reading her notes by now. They always started out neat in the beginning but quickly became sloppy from laziness and her attempts to write faster. He was a firm believer that little things like writing showed one's personality and for Cagalli, this was no exception.

He watched as his girlfriend flipped to the answer portion of the textbook and smiled. Leaning back, she stretched her arms and made a strange expression that reminded him of a yawning cat.

"Break time," Cagalli said happily.

"Finally!" Athrun stood up and stretched as well, glancing at the clock to check the time.

"Hey, why are you so relieved? It's not like you were even doing anything," she said with narrowed eyes.

"I was studying."

"Um, no. You were _supposed_ to be studying with me but since you're such a smarty pants and you already studied enough in class, you ended up doing nothing."

"I wasn't studying math, silly, I was studying you." He playfully tapped her on the nose and like magic, it turned pink and started to spread to her cheeks.

Nevertheless, she replied defiantly. "Great, what did you learn then?"

"Nothing yet. It's a difficult subject to study, mind you. I think a lot more observation will be required," Athrun joked cheekily.

Cagalli laughed at his antics. "You're such a nerd." Getting up, she walked over to his side and favoured him a light peck on the lips. "Let's play pool," she said though it sounded more like a command.

Athrun frowned. "Again?"

The blonde was already heading to the pool table that stood in the middle of the room. "I only get to play when I'm at your house and I want to get better. Remember how long it took for you to teach me how to shoot properly? You don't want your efforts to go to waste right?"

"I...actually don't care," he said with a shrug. He watched as she ambled back to him and he expected her to berate him or punch him again. To his surprise, she grabbed his wrist and swung it back and forth while pouting in a whiny manner and staring at him with large bright eyes. He laughed. "Okay, where did you learn to do _that_?"

Cagalli smiled with mischief. "I don't know. I guess it's just part of survival of the fittest," she replied while blinking at him not-so-innocently.

He smiled amusingly and gave in. "Fine, let's play pool,"

"Great, I call stripes," she declared as she quickly let go and bounded over to the pool table.

Athrun rolled his eyes. "You always do." He reached for the cue stick sitting on the table as he watched her set the table. Feeling a bit mischievous himself, he placed the equipment back down and walked over to where she was.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 5, 81 C.E. - 7:30 PM -

Via Hibiki looked over to her side and noticed her daughter was absentmindedly peeling the apple she had been holding for the last five minutes. "You've been kind of quiet tonight," she commented as she started preparing another fruit as well.

Cagalli looked up but didn't bother to answer. In the silence, they could hear three individuals talking in the living room while the television played in the background.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

"No."

Via sighed. "Why don't you go outside instead?"

"No," Cagalli repeated. "I'm in the middle of peeling this apple, see?" She gestured at the fruit in her hand, with its skin dangling from the side.

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Yes, dear, and you better hurry or else the apple will be rotten by the time you're done."

"Apple peeling is an art, mom. You can't rush art," Cagalli retorted sarcastically causing her mother laughed.

After a moment, Via smiled knowingly. "I suppose you're right. There are some things you can't rush," she said meaningfully.

The blonde stared at her mother, a little suspicious. "Mom, I really hope you're not ...getting weird ideas."

"It depends on what you mean by 'weird ideas'," her mother responded with a sparkle in her eyes.

Cagalli sighed. "Mom, I know you really like that guy out there," she said in a quiet voice. "But we already broke up...like eight years ago, so don't try to do something stupid, okay? If you really want to play matchmaker, then at least use someone else."

Via began slicing her apple in eighths. "Are you giving me permission to match make you with someone else then?"

"What?" Cagalli looked at her incredulously. "No, of course not. That's not what I meant!"

"Cagalli," her mother called, suddenly serious. "Despite what you think, I _do_ know what happened between the two of you," she said tenderly. "You both made the wrong choices back then but it's like you said, that was eight years ago."

The blonde watched her mother for signs of truthfulness. Oddly enough, her mother seemed to know what she was talking about and it didn't take long for Cagalli to figure out who told her secret.

Sensing what her daughter was thinking, Via said simply: "I'm your mother and mothers... well, they just know things."

"Pfth, I highly doubt mothers are psychic. Did Mir tell you?"

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is that the two of you made mistakes because of love."

"It wasn't love," Cagalli responded flatly. "We were only eighteen; we didn't even understand what love is. And he-"

"If you don't think your mistake was from love, then perhaps you don't understand what love is right now either," Via countered quickly. "Athrun made a mistake too and even though his mistake was not from loving you but from loving someone else, you know better than I do that you never minded. You were happy for him."

"What makes you thi-" Cagalli stopped abruptly and hissed at the sharp pain on her left index finger. The long string of apple skin had dropped to the floor along with droplets of her blood. "Shit," she swore and quickly grabbed a tissue before running out of the room while her mother yelled about the bandages being in the corridor closet upstairs. She ran past the living room where the three occupants looked up in alarm and her brother called after her as she bolted up the stairs.

Swiftly opening the doors of the corridor closet, she shuffled things around while trying to search for a box of bandages. She shifted the tissue on her finger which was already half soaked with blood from her rather deep cut. She eyed the shelves, trying to find what she was looking for but to no avail. Hearing footsteps from behind her, she turned and found the person she least wanted to see at the moment.

"Are you alright?" Athrun asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah," Cagalli replied and felt somewhat embarrassed. "It's just a cut," she added quickly before turning back to search for the bandages. She heard a sigh from the man behind her and his arm shot past her to grab a box at the front of the shelf, slightly to her right: the box of bandages. Her jaws dropped a little and her eyes followed the box in Athrun's hand.

"You never did have an eye for the obvious," he said quietly as he took one of the thicker bandages out and put the box back.

She saw him start to peel the wrapper and she tried the grab the bandage from him. "I can do it myself."

He swatted her uninjured hand away. "Just hold still," he commanded, sounding a little annoyed.

Something in his tone made her stay quiet and she complied obediently. Cagalli stood motionlessly and just watched as Athrun tended to her injured finger. She felt her lungs constricting and found it hard to breathe when she recognized the familiar scent from their closeness. His brows were knitted in concentration while he tried to wipe the excess blood away to place the bandage on. The sight made her heart beat faster.

"There," he muttered, looking satisfied as he finally finished wrapping the bandage around her finger.

Cagalli stepped back, feeling lightheaded and tried to convince herself it was from the blood loss. "Thanks," she mumbled.

Athrun smiled. "Lacus wanted to show you something. I'll go help Aunt Via with the rest."

The blonde nodded while avoiding his eyes and silently followed him back downstairs.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- June 10, 71 C.E. - 8:42 PM -

"Athrun..."

Cagalli's hands were tangled in his hair as the boy hovered above her and trailed kisses down her neck. The game of pool and their school work lay forgotten as they spent their time on the couch instead. She let out a small gasp when she felt his hands slyly sneaking under her shirt and exploring unknown territory. She pulled lightly on his hair to get him to face her, trying to stop him from kissing his neck so she could claim his lips instead. When she finally did claim them, she thought she could feel him smiling against her.

Athrun's tongue slowly entered her mouth and she moaned at the foreign but curious sensation. His arms surrounded her, giving her a sense of security as she held onto them, lightly digging her nails into his skin. She felt him shift his position a little in attempts to get closer, to get more intimate. Cagalli caressed his tongue affectionately causing him to let out a throaty groan and surely, her legs would have failed her and she would have dropped to the floor if they weren't already lying down. She felt dizzy and breathless and she wanted more. His legs were brushing against hers and the feeling of flesh over flesh below the reaches of their shorts was gratifying.

She let out a small hopeless whimper as he left her mouth again to travel the sides of her neck and he stopped at a spot just below her ear. She could hear and feel his warm rapid breaths against her side and it made her shiver. Her hands wandered beneath his shirt to leave feathery touches over his bare skin before resting firmly on his chest. The contact made him whisper her name breathlessly against her ear and she sighed contently in return.

Athrun lifted himself a little to stare at her as both of them panted heavily. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, cupped her face with both hands, and leaned back down until their foreheads were touching.

Cagalli smiled, remembering the first time he kissed her. "Are you going to ask again?"

"...ask what?" He responded confusedly.

"If you can kiss me."

Athrun gave her a charming smile. "I don't think I need to." He sealed their lips together again and Cagalli responded eagerly.

She felt like she was drowning. The world was being ripped away and all she could hold onto was him as they fell together in what she could only assume was passion. As he continued to kiss her, she suddenly realized something that was very important and she wanted to push him away just for a second so she could tell him.

But when she did push him away, it was because she heard a door closing on the floor above.

Athrun eyed her questioningly, looking irritated at the loss of contact.

"I think... I think your dad's home," she said breathlessly.

The boy's eyes widened a little as the sound of footsteps reached his ear. He got up, helping her up as well and then tried to straighten his clothes and his hair. Cagalli did the same while trying to steady her breathing.

Not a minute later, Patrick Zala was walking down the stairs to the basement.

"Athrun, are you with someone?" The man asked on his way down.

"Yeah, Cagalli and I are studying," Athrun answered smoothly.

Cagalli watched as Patrick Zala reached the last step and turned around to look at them. He was a tall man with short dark grey hair that was likely natural in colour. As opposed to Athrun who had soft features that could even be considered feminine at some angles, Patrick had hard, well-defined features that made him look quite stern.

"Hi, Mr Zala," the blonde said, giving him a small and awkward bow. The older man was staring at her with stony grey eyes and she saw his lips purse tighter than before. Cagalli wondered whether that was supposed to be a smile. She wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't happy to see her and she doubted the man had heard about her relationship with his son.

"Don't stay up too late," Patrick said to Athrun simply and returned upstairs.

When Patrick's footsteps finally disappeared, Athrun let out a relieved sigh. "I didn't think he'd be home so early," he said sheepishly.

Cagalli nodded, feeling a bit shy from their situation. Of course, kisses were starting to become a norm between them but they had never made out before. As the fog of passion began to clear away, the young girl could feel her cheeks heat up at the thought of what had just happened. Furthermore, she wasn't so sure she could openly tell him what she wanted to say just a few minutes ago.

The blue-haired teen cleared his throat. "I think we should get back to studying."

"Hm," she hummed her consent and walked over to the table containing their school work, quickly pulling her notebook over to start studying again.

Athrun sat across from her after taking out a heavy textbook and began to study for another subject.

The room became silent save for the ticking of the clock, the turning of pages, and the scratching of her pencil against her notebook. Cagalli stole a glance at the boy in front of her and noticed a rather blank expression on his face which was contrary to his usual look of concentration. Then, she noticed something sticking out of her pencil case to her right: a pile of sticky notes. Quietly taking the top blue one, she wrote a short message on it. It was a message of only three words but it was enough to say what was on her mind. Scrunching it up into a small ball, she threw it at him.

Athrun looked up in surprise when the tiny ball of paper hit his forehead and bounced back onto the table. He picked it up and began to straighten it. That was all Cagalli saw before she quickly ducked her head down to continue with her homework and hide her blush. Thus, she couldn't see as his ears turned pink and a bright smile appeared on his face. She also didn't notice that he was writing on the sticky note, copying her message but adding a single word at the end, until he scrunched it up and threw it back at her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Tsk tsk, at Mr Zala for interrup-...er, I mean at Athrun and Cagalli for being naughty teenagers. X) I hope it's not too hard to guess what was written on the sticky note. ;)

Agh, I don't want to reread this again since it's so long so just please excuse any mistakes. Or feel free to point them out in the reviews so I can fix them. :P

(April 8, 2013)


	5. Chapter 05

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny.

**Author's Note:** I had a dream some nights ago where I stumbled upon a GSD sequel playing on TV. Felt a little disappointed when I woke up. D:

* * *

**Chapter 05: Hidden Colours**

- April 18, 81 C.E. - 1:43 PM -

"Remember those favours you owe me?"

Cagalli glanced away from her computer screen to look up at the platinum-haired lawyer standing in front of her. Yzak was wearing his trademark smirk as he waited for her reply, seemingly pleased that he would get someone to do his bidding. She wanted nothing more than to give him a good punch but restrained from doing so and just sighed. Yzak Joule was not the type of person that would forget grudges but Cagalli had to learn the hard way that he was also not the type to forget the debts others owe him.

"Why wouldn't I? You mention them every other day," she muttered angrily. "What do you want this time?"

"If this woman comes looking for me on Monday, tell her I don't work here anymore," Yzak said and he handed her a photograph.

Cagalli took the photo from him to take a look. The woman closely resembled Yzak from the rare platinum hair and smooth pale skin to the high cheekbones and sharp nose. She was wearing a firm smile that reminded Cagalli of a man she used to know. Despite the bright red lipstick, the woman's lips were pursed tightly and the expression did not seem friendly at all.

"Is that..." She looked up at Yzak hesitantly.

"Yeah, it is. Tell her I don't work here," he repeated.

She returned the photo to him. "I don't think she'll believe me."

"Whatever. I'm taking the day off anyways so if she insists on waiting here, that's her own problem," Yzak said coldly.

"Not that it's any of my business but...do you really have to do this? She's your mother. What's the harm in seeing her?" Cagalli asked tentatively.

"You wouldn't understand," he scoffed. "You've got normal parents. Just ask Zala. We've got parents who see us as an asset for their company. Would your parents force you to do something you don't want to? Would your parents manipulate you for their own benefits?"

The blonde frowned, and was about to say something but Yzak continued.

"I wouldn't think so. You're lucky you weren't born into a rich family coming from the PLANTs. It's become a tradition or something for them to use their children as company assets. It's disgusting."

"Oh, don't listen to him, Cagalli." A woman with long flowing blue hair dressed in a stylish black work dress walked up to them and placed a manila folder on Cagalli's desk. "Not everyone from the PLANTs is like that," Aisha argued. "And anyway, if your mother is coming all the way from the PLANTs to see you, don't you think you should at least have a talk with her? She probably misses you," she told Yzak who rolled his eyes.

"She's not coming to Orb to see me! She's coming here for some damn business meeting. And she sure as hell does not miss me; she only wants to talk to me because she's been trying to get me to marry some heiress of another rich family." He pulled out another photograph and handed it to Aisha as if presenting evidence.

The two women looked at the photograph. It was a photo of a beautiful young lady with attractive violet eyes. Her fair face was framed by perfect blonde curls and she was smiling brightly, showing off her pearl-white teeth. She had long eyelashes but a button nose, and her skin seemed to glow radiantly in the sunlight that was enveloped in the picture. The lady looked like any other typical daughters of a wealthy family except for one thing: Cagalli could recognize her.

"Her name is Lucy or something like that," Yzak muttered.

"It's Lucine," Aisha corrected, to which Yzak raised an eyebrow. "It's written on the back," she explained and handed the photo back to him.

"I couldn't care less."

Aisha smiled gently and spoke in a big-sister sort of tone. "I still think you should see your mother, Yzak."

Despite himself, the laywer sighed. "You're not going to sell me out, right?" He asked carefully.

"Well, I guess I'll leave that to Cagalli," she said simply before walking away.

Yzak quickly turned to the blonde. "You owe me."

Cagalli pouted, displeased with having to obey her temperamental colleague. "Yeah yeah," she replied quickly before getting back to work.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- August 1, 71 C.E. - 9:02 PM -

"What the hell were you thinking?!" A teenage boy was yelling at his friend, a fire growing in his eyes despite their baby blue colour. "What the hell?!" Yzak repeated.

Athrun didn't answer, but simply leaned on the wall panting as the bruise on his cheekbone began to darken. There was a cut on his lips and his left eye was swollen.

They were currently standing at the entrance of a dark alley between two buildings on the town's main street. The summer night air was breezy and comfortable but the atmosphere between the two teenagers was a complete opposite.

"Well?!" Yzak bellowed impatiently.

"Didn't think you'd be the one to come and save me," Athrun muttered, forcing an amused smile.

Yzak clenched his teeth, feeling his blood pressure rise. "Maybe I should have left your sorry ass here to die then! What the hell is so important in there that made you fight five of those guys at once?!" he yelled while gesturing at the wallet in Athrun's hand. "Do you have a nude photo of your girlfriend in there or something?!"

The other boy narrowed his eyes dangerously at his loud friend but it barely had enough venom compared to the glare Yzak was sending him.

"Unbelievable," Yzak muttered while examining his own bruised knuckles. He was on his way home after running an errand to pick up something at the drug store for his uncle, whom he lives with, when he heard a brawl breaking out in the alley. Naturally, he would have minded his own business if he hadn't seen Athrun fighting against a group of rather beefy thieves. The idiot should be grateful that he had been passing by and that he was skilled in the arts of taekwondo. Yzak was able to ward off the pickpockets while sustaining minimal injuries whereas Athrun on the other hand, was looking rather beaten up.

Athrun straightened himself with quite a bit of effort while one hand was clenching his abdomen and started to walk off. Yzak picked up his plastic drug store bag from the floor and followed silently, still shooting daggers at the injured boy as they started their trek home. He only lived three houses away from Athrun so undoubtedly they would have to share the sidewalk. It would be good anyway, just in case the idiot suddenly fainted from pain or whatever. Yzak wasn't worried; he just didn't want to be responsible for Athrun's death if those thieves came back.

Yzak was, however, curious. From the uniform Athrun was wearing, Yzak could guess he just got off work from his part-time job at the local bike shop. He was obviously heading home when those thieves decided to attack. Was the idiot just plain stupid to go after them? Did he really think he could get pass five of those mobsters alone without having to head for the emergency room? Evidently, he was-

Athrun chuckled out of the blue.

"What?!" Yzak asked, irritated. "Did they manage to damage that damn brain of yours?"

"Lacus said you have a soft spot for me. I guess she was right after all."

"That is _not_ true!" Yzak yelled defensively. He felt that uncomfortable sensation that usually meant his ears were turning pink. "I was just doing what a good citizen should be doing."

"Thanks, Yzak," Athrun said genuinely.

The platinum-haired teen stayed silent and continued to walk with heavy footsteps to emphasize is annoyance. He stole a glance at his friend and noticed he was still clutching his stomach and walking with a slight limp. Furthermore, his bruises have turned a dark grey-purple colour. "You're pathetic."

The injured teen merely smiled as he took out his wallet from his pocket, opened it, and showed his friend the photo inside.

Yzak's look of indignation softened just a little bit at the photograph. It was a picture of a younger Athrun and his mother standing in front of a clear blue lake. Both of them were wearing the same serene smile.

"My mother used to say this is her favourite photo," Athrun explained simply before pocketing his wallet again.

Yzak nodded, not quite sure how to respond. His mother and Mrs Zala had actually been good friends since their college days. It was one of the reasons why he and Athrun knew each other even before preschool. Although they were never the best of friends, the Zala family watched over him and helped him adapt when he was forced to live with his uncle here in Orb. He was so young then, but the civil war easily convinced his single mother that Orb was a better place for him to grow up. Even though she visited occasionally, Yzak always envied Athrun for he had his mother by his side. Through the years, he had learned what a kind and caring person Lenore Zala was and he sometimes, guiltily, wished his mother was like that too.

"Do you ever miss your mother?" Athrun asked suddenly.

"W-what?" Yzak stuttered, taken aback with his friend's question. "Uh, I guess so..." he replied uncertainly.

"It must be nice..."

"What's nice?" He asked sharply. He had actually expected Athrun to be his sentimental self and say something about how unfortunate it was to have to grow up without one's mother.

"...that you get to see her once in a while. And when she's not with you, you get to look forward to seeing her and telling her what you've been up to. And you don't take her for granted like what most people do with their parents," Athrun said quietly.

Yzak didn't answer again. The ambience wasn't exactly awkward but he didn't like it. What Athrun said sounded rather corny, but more importantly, it sounded sad.

"Are you going back to the PLANTs after high school?" The blue-haired teen continued.

"Yeah, probably. Mother wants me to go the University of Aprilius."

"Oh. My mother wanted me to go to ZAFT; my father too."

"Is that in December City?"

Athrun nodded.

"So you've already decided?" Yzak asked curiously.

"Sort of. We've still got two years so I guess we'll see." Athrun stopped walking as they reached the front of his house. Whereas most houses looked like the starry sky, dark with speckles of light from their windows, Athrun's home was just dark and Yzak guessed it was probably empty too. "Anyway, thanks Yzak. Good night."

"Yeah," the platinum-haired teen answered coolly and walked off towards his home.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 19, 81 C.E. - 11:25 AM -

Cagalli roughly slathered a slab of mayonnaise on her whole wheat bread, applying the condiment generously before reaching for the packet of sliced ham. She looked over at her roommate who was sitting on the couch, reading and enjoying a nice cup of coffee.

"Hey, you want a sandwich?"

"No, thanks," Miriallia answered easily. "It's not like you to have lunch so early."

"It's not that early," Cagalli countered, just for the sake of it. It was true that she usually only eat after twelve. "And anyway, I have to go meet Kira and Lacus at the bridal shop later."

"Oh! 'Euphoria' right? I heard they have really nice dresses there," Miriallia said excitedly, looking up from her book and evidently interested.

"Yeah. You wanna come?" The blonde asked hopefully while cutting her sandwich in half.

"Nope."

"What? Why? It'll be ...um... fun," Cagalli said hesitantly. "Come on, Lacus will be happy if someone helps give her some suggestions and you know I'm no good at that when it comes to dresses."

"Hm, it does sound fun," Her friend replied thoughtfully. "Too bad though, I'm going to the movies later."

"Oh...really? With who?"

"Dearka."

"Since when have you started hanging out with Dearka?" Cagalli raised an eyebrow as she walked over to sit next to her friend, her plate of sandwich in hand.

"Um...remember last month at Lacus and Kira's dinner?" Miriallia asked while the blonde nodded, chewing on her sandwich. "Well, we were just talking and...uh, we talked about that new movie Eadric Rowell is directing and it comes out today so..." she trailed off before quickly adding: "It's not a date."

Cagalli smiled secretly. "So I see..."

The brunette sighed. "Don't use that tone with me. It really isn't a date, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

Miriallia frowned.

"What? I'm not saying anything!" Cagalli laughed.

"But you're thinking it. Honestly, we're just friends and friends go out to the movies together," Miriallia said defensively.

"I agree, but you do know Dearka had a crush on you in high school, right?"

"Oh, no, he didn't," Miriallia answered in denial.

"Um, yes, he did," Cagalli countered. "He just never asked you out because you were dating Tolle. Why else do you think he never got a girlfriend despite his playboy personality, hm?"

"How should I know? Plus, he's dating someone right now, isn't he? That model...I think her na-"

"They broke up a while ago."

"Oh..." Miriallia deflated. "Whatever. It still doesn't mean anything. There could be plenty of reasons why he didn't date in high school and it most certainly doesn't have to do with me. I mean, there are always hidden reasons why people do things... like why Athrun broke up with you," she said innocently.

"Hey, don't try to change the subject," Cagalli said quickly.

"I'm not. It's just an example. If you say Dearka didn't date in high school because he had a crush on me, then I can easily say that you haven't dated since high school because you still have feelings for a certain someone."

"Hey!" she cried indignantly.

"It's just an example," Miriallia sang, in her usual sing-song voice. She smiled happily as she watched her friend angrily bite her sandwich, knowing she had won for the time being.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- October 08, 71 C.E. - 12:56 AM -

He was perfect. He was smart and kind, and cared for those around him. He was loyal to his friends and filial to his parents. He was a gentleman that caused all the girls at school to nickname him as 'Prince Charming'. He was serious but was also a playful child at heart. His personality undoubtedly matched well with his good looks. A high nose bridge sat between his beautiful green eyes which were surrounded with long lashes. His skin was pale, like many of those who came from the PLANTs and his teeth were flawlessly straight and pearl-white. Although his hair was starting to become too long, they framed his face messily in yet, an attractive manner. There was no doubt he was perfect, at least in her eyes, but in this moment, there was one thing wrong...

Athrun, in the midst of taking a bite from his burger, stopped and finally noticed her staring. "Is there something on my face?"

"No..."

"Is there something on my sweater then?" He asked, looking down.

"No," Cagalli repeated, though this time with a hint of disapproval.

They were currently sitting in the middle of the mall's food court having lunch. Cagalli, who had already finished her pizza, was stealing Athrun's fries and openly ogling at him. To be more precise, she was staring at his sweater, that ugly yellow sweater. She had always known Athrun to be a quiet individual who would rather shy away from the spotlight than fight over it. Thus, it was no surprise he often wore plain t-shirts of various shades of grey. Otherwise, they would be in black, or white, and occasionally, he would wear colours like dark blue or green or even maroon. However, Cagalli was currently baffled at the sweater he was wearing. It was yellow, a bright ugly yellow that was even brighter than her blonde hair. Looking around, she could confirm that he stood out most in the entire food court, aside from that one man who was wearing a neon green vest.

"Where... did you get that sweater?" she asked tentatively.

Athrun smiled, understanding seemed to have dawned on him. "Why? You don't like it?"

"It's not that I don't like it..." she said quietly.

"Then?..."

"I hate it."

He laughed good-naturedly. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"It's yellow."

"And what's wrong with yellow?"

"I don't know... Maybe it's just not your colour?" Cagalli pouted. "...It's ugly."

Athrun was amused and surprisingly, was not offended by her blunt statement. "I didn't know you cared so much about what I wear," he teased.

"I don't," she answered quickly, before he could say something else that would taint her cheeks. "So where did you get it?"

"Remember last Christmas when we played secret Santa?" He asked and Cagalli nodded. "Yzak picked out my name so he got me this."

The blonde laughed and when Athrun raised an eyebrow in mild confusion, she explained the absurdity to him. "So you got a sweater from someone who regards you as his arch-nemesis and decided to wear it without really putting any thought into it?"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with the sweater, Cagalli. It's comfy." he said. "And Yzak isn't my arch-nemesis."

"No, but you're his," she replied. "Or are you convinced by Lacus that he has a soft spot for you?"

Athrun hesitated. He had yet to tell Cagalli about his encounter with the gang of thieves during the summer. He even bothered to avoid her for a whole week until his injuries were healed and the only thing left was a light bruise on his cheekbone. She had obviously been worried but when he waved it off casually, she let him off even though he could tell she was still skeptic about the whole issue.

"Back in August... when I had that bruise on my cheek which you kept asking about..." he started.

"Are you going to tell me what happened now?" she asked knowingly.

"You're so nosy." He chuckled lightly and reached over to pinch her nose, causing her to scowl. "But yes. It's nothing really. I was mobbed by a gang of thieves an-"

"A gang?!"

"Well, just five...they stole my wallet so I was trying to get it back and Yzak, well, he was just passing by, I guess. He helped me."

Cagalli frowned, evidently displeased at the news. She was also a bit upset he hadn't told her earlier. It was understandable that he didn't want her to worry but still, the fact didn't make her feel any better.

As if sensing her uneasiness, he reached over and held her hand. "It actually isn't as bad as it sounds, honestly."

"What if I was mobbed by thieves?" she countered.

"That's different; you're a girl."

"That's not the point!" Cagalli cried. "It's dangerous! I know that photo means a lot to you, and that's why you keep it in your wallet. But Athrun, your mom would be very disappointed in you if you got yourself killed over it."

"I wasn't going to get killed," Athrun responded. His girlfriend glared at him and he sighed. "But yeah, I get it."

"Don't be reckless next time."

"I won't," he promised. He looked at her tentatively and waited until she gave him a small smile. "Anyway, that's what happened. Yzak came and he helped me so... maybe he's not as bad as you think."

"Mm, so what you're saying is Yzak is your knight-in-shining-armour?" Cagalli joked.

"Yes, and I'm completely smitten with him. It seems you have competition," Athrun responded, causing her to laugh.

"Well, as much as you love Yzak, I still don't think you should wear that sweater," She replied with a look of revulsion.

"Too bad. I actually like it; it's really comfy."

"Maybe you should get Yzak a sweater. You know, for helping you?" Cagalli suggested.

Athrun smiled playfully. "A yellow one?"

"Nah, how 'bout bright pink?"

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 19, 81 C.E. - 1:33 PM -

Even though she wasn't the type to be in awe of dresses, Cagalli was impressed as she stepped into Euphoria. She finally understood why the catalogue Lacus had shown her a couple weeks back was so thick. The shop was huge and from the balcony above, she could tell there was even a second and third floor. Everywhere she looked, there were racks of formal wear, separated in various sections such as 'wedding dresses', 'cocktail dresses', and 'prom dresses'. The store was covered in colours of whites and pastels, and the strong scent of lavender. Off to the side, there were several semi-circular areas lined with fitting rooms and mirrors, each area containing arm chairs and plush seats for people who were waiting. From the outside, the store was isolated by a vast amount of grassland and a beautiful garden where Cagalli saw a couple doing their photo shoot. The place was definitely impressive.

She wasn't so confident about the service though. As she stood for a full minute marvelling the store, no one came to assist her. Far to the left, two ladies in uniform were talking and giggling, not paying her any attention. In contrast, they were quite interested in a tall red velvet arm chair in one of the isolated fitting areas. Cagalli was confused as she stared at the back of the arm chair until suddenly, she saw a bit of blue hair peeking from behind it. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to the less-than-interesting chair and its occupant.

As she approached the man from behind, she noticed he was vigorously poking at his android phone and playing some sort of aircraft game. The sight made her want to laugh, for it reminded her of a child getting left alone in a store as his parents went shopping.

"Ouch," she muttered as she watched his aircraft get shot down.

Athrun looked up in alarm. "Cagalli?"

She gave him as small smile as she took a seat on another red velvet arm chair. "Where's Kira and Lacus?"

"Not here yet. Lacus said they found a place for the reception so they're talking over that right now." He replied as he pressed a few buttons on his phone and put it away. "It might take a while..."

"Oh..." She bit her lower lip, hoping he was wrong. Maybe Kira and Lacus will walk in any minute now. The store was empty and quiet save for some music playing in the background. She could hear the strings of a cello and violin and it was actually quite relaxing. Nevertheless, she didn't want to sit here for too long, not with him anyways.

"Ah, bien! You must be ze bride," said one of the women who was previously talking and giggling with her co-worker. Her pale blonde ponytail bounced lightly as she quickly walked over to them, speaking in a heavy French accent. "Would you like to er-... commence? We 'ave zee new spring collection over zere eef you'd like to see 'em first."

Cagalli waved her hands frantically. "Uh, no, I'm not...we're um..."

"We're still waiting for someone," Athrun supplied.

"Oh! Oh, I see. Very sorry! Feel free to er-... 'ave a look around zen, and call us when you're ready or if you need 'elp," the woman said with a bow and quickly walked away.

Cagalli let out breath of relief and leaned back against the chair she was sitting on. Silence settled between them again and she wondered if she should just ignore Athrun completely. It would actually be easier if he continued playing whatever game it was on his phone and she could just sit here quietly like she didn't exist. Instead, she now had to rack her brain for a topic to converse about and it was proving to be quite difficult.

Athrun cleared his throat, causing her to look up. "Lacus suggested that you look for a dress while we're waiting."

"Oh...okay," Cagalli replied, quickly getting up and moving towards the racks of formal dresses. Hearing footsteps following her, she turned around and noticed that he was trailing behind her. She was about to ask, very sarcastically, whether he was looking for a dress too but he spoke first.

"I thought Lacus was choosing a dress for you though...since you're the maid of honour."

"She said I can choose my own dress for the reception," she told him as she examined the dresses, not really paying attention to most of them. Athrun was still following her, his hands in his pockets while he kept a close eye on her, as if he was some sort of bodyguard.

After several minutes, Cagalli picked out a dark champagne dress to try on. It was an A-line floor-length dress made of chiffon with a halter top and beading along the waist. Stepping out of the fitting room, she turned towards the mirror and thought it was quite nice. Aside from being a little too long, the dress was a perfect fit and she figured there would be no problem getting it adjusted. She noticed from the mirror's reflection that Athrun was standing a couple of feet behind her, examining her with a clear frown.

"You look..."

She turned around swiftly, a hand on her hips. "If you say 'fat', I'm going to punch the bloody hell out of you."

Athrun laughed, causing the women from earlier to look over at them. "I wasn't going to say that. It's just that..." he trailed off as if thinking of how to formulate his thoughts. "Maybe it's not your colour?" he said uncertainly.

"It's not?" Cagalli voiced out carelessly. She turned around to re-examine her reflection. There wasn't anything wrong with the colour, at least she didn't think so. Champagne wasn't an easy colour to wear since it was close to her skin colour but even so, she thought this shade was alright.

"Here, try this instead," Athrun said as he roughly shoved another dress in her hands.

She held the new outfit in front of her by the hanger. This one was also made of chiffon but it was short and strapless. It was turquoise in colour and had light ruffles at the bottom. Cagalli eyed her companion skeptically and he shrugged in return. Taking the dress back with her into the fitting room, she looked at it again and decided to humour him and try it on. Despite that, she briefly wondered when he ever cared about what other people wore.

When Cagalli came out to look at the mirror again, she had to admit she liked this dress better. Not only was the colour brighter and more vibrant, but it was actually more comfortable perhaps due to its shorter length. However, the dress looked familiar, almost as if she's seen it before. No, it wasn't just the dress itself. She vaguely remembered seeing herself in a dress identical to this one and she tried to recall whether she once owned a turquoise dress.

As she finally concluded that she did not have a turquoise dress, she noticed Athrun looking at her through the mirror again. This time, he was smiling with his head slightly tilted as if to ask her whether she likes the dress and Cagalli quickly hurried back into the fitting room as she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"How is it?" Athrun asked when she came out again, dressed in her normal attire.

"Thanks a lot," she said sarcastically while showing him the price tag of the dress he had picked. "This one's more expensive."

He chuckled. "Sorry, this one looks better though. What's this colour called? Aquamarine?"

"It's turquoise. I can't believe you don't even know your colours," she mocked playfully, while taking a seat on one of the plush chairs. "I expected more from someone who graduated from ZAFT."

He gave her a weird look and took a seat beside her. "That's great...except I'm not a ZAFT graduate..."

Cagalli turned towards him so abruptly she felt a muscle strain in her neck. "You're...you're not?"

Athrun shook his head a little and elaborated after seeing the blonde continue to stare at him with her mouth slightly agape. "I graduated from a university on Heliopolis."

"Oh..." she mumbled quietly. She was so sure he had gone to ZAFT since that was where he wanted to go initially. All these years, she never got the news that he went to school in Heliopolis instead. Cagalli sat in silence, waiting for the information to sink in. She supposed it sort of made sense. His father always wanted him to work for the family company and Cagalli thought they had settled the matter which was why he was working at Morgenroete these days. Perhaps the truth was that Athrun actually had a disagreement with his father instead, which could have led to him leaving ZAFT as well. She turned to him again while he looked at her worriedly, and she suddenly had an urge to hug him.

"Hey, sorry we're late," a voice suddenly said. Cagalli and Athrun turned towards the source and found Kira and Lacus approaching them. "We managed to book the banquet hall for June tenth," Kira announced happily.

"That's great," Athrun replied.

"Oh, Cagalli, did you manage to find a dress?" Lacus asked as she picked up the turquoise dress sitting on Cagalli's lap to inspect it. "This is pretty; I think the colour matches you."

"Yeah..." The blonde responded absentmindedly.

"I think we should get started. It's going to take a while to choose a wedding dress and I don't want to be here forever," Kira mused as he waved the store employees over.

Cagalli could only listen half-heartedly as the French lady from before spoke to them and led Lacus and her towards the section with all the white dresses while the men followed the other lady to the second floor.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This fic is starting to make me feel bipolar. o_o Sometimes, I think it's okay and it's working well and other times, I dislike the flow and just want to stop writing it. "I have a good amount of scenes planned for future chapters and I'd hate to leave this unfinished." That's how I feel right now. Several days ago though, I was feeling more like, "everything is so choppy and nothing seems to fit properly. Maybe I should just stop writing since there doesn't seem to be a lot of interest anyways." Hence, this fic is sort of on probation now and is subjected to be discontinued if my mood drops below threshold and goes to the "I absolutely hate this" level. ...Gee, I sound like some sort of moody teenager. D:

(April 29, 2013)


	6. Chapter 06

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny.

**Author's Note:** First off, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. For once since chapter 1, I've gotten more than four reviews. :') In fact, the previous chapter actually had more reviews than the first so, hooray. X)

Also, very sorry for the lack of update. I bet some of you thought I decided to abandon this fic after the not-so-happy author's note I made last time. Haha. ^^; I actually finished this chapter up to the last scene sometime in May. But I kept procrastinating and then got very busy in June to the point where I didn't have time to write at all...So I only got to finish writing and editing this today.

Without further ado, here is chapter six. (:

* * *

**Chapter 06: Faith**

- December 12, 71 C.E. - 12:20 PM -

The blonde lowered her head closer towards the piece of paper in front of her until her nose almost touched the wooden surface of the library table. Cagalli tried her best to focus on her English paper but it was proving to be a difficult task as her school library was anything but quiet. In fact, it was rowdy.

The librarian was a kind woman who was short and stout in stature. She possessed a strange motherly presence and babied the students which made her quite popular as a school staff. Cagalli had to admit she liked the librarian as well but at the moment, the blonde realized what a poor librarian she really was. It was nice of her to allow a little chit-chat when working in the library but this, this noise level sounded too similar to the cafeteria.

Cagalli sighed loudly, closing her eyes briefly before staring down at her paper again. She tried her best to ignore the loud voice of the guy from another table who was boasting about some video game he had beaten his friend in. She tried to ignore the voices from a group of chattering girls as well, who seemed to be gossiping about someone named 'Mika" and doing a poor job of keeping their voices down. And as a blue-haired boy gracefully slid into the seat across from her, Cagalli tried her best to ignore him as well.

She hastily lowered her pencil down to where she left off, meaning to continue writing and to look busy but as she reread the last sentence she wrote, she realized it made no sense.

"You skipped lunch," Athrun commented casually.

Without looking up at her boyfriend, Cagalli hummed in response as she fiercely erased the last sentence on her English essay ...and the sentence before that.

Athrun quietly pulled out something from his backpack and placed it on the table. After a few seconds and seeing that Cagalli seemed to pay no attention to the object, he pushed it towards her until it was touching her school work.

The supposedly-busy student stole a quick glance at the offering. It was a muffin, a chocolate chip muffin, wrapped in plastic wrap and she recognized it was probably bought from the school cafeteria. As the smell of chocolate chip reached her nostrils, Cagalli could feel her stomach grumble silently. "You're not allowed to eat in here," she said emotionlessly.

"Eat it later then," Athrun said with a shrug even though the blonde wasn't looking. He crossed his arms on top of the desk, rested his head there and tried to catch her eye in a childlike manner. "You're working on your essay?"

Cagalli didn't answer but continued writing with hard strokes.

"It's not due until next week."

"Weren't you the one always telling me not to procrastinate?" she snapped.

He smiled at her sheepishly. "Yeah, I was..." Athrun noticed that the blonde's eyebrows were furrowed though he guessed it was not from concentration but probably from annoyance. The library was filled with students talking. Since the holidays were just around the corner, most didn't bother with their school work. Many were actually helping the librarian decorate the front doors and windows with tinsel and Christmas ornaments. Only a handful of older students were actually immersed in their textbooks in a quieter corner of the library.

Turning his attention back to his girlfriend, Athrun wondered whether she was annoyed at the noise and merriment in the room or whether she was angry with him like he had suspected.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Why would I be mad at you?" Cagalli finally looked up at him and although it was true she didn't look angry, there was something off about her expression.

"I don't know but ...that makes it all the worse," Athrun muttered. "You've sort of been avoiding me..."

"I'm not mad at you," she said definitely.

Athrun frowned. He couldn't figure out what it was but there was obviously something wrong. Although he didn't think he was related to her unusual mood, his best friend had hinted it was most likely his fault.

"_That's just how girls are. If you don't know why she's mad, it's probably because you did something wrong."_

He remembered several weeks ago, Lacus was angry with Kira because of a passing comment he had made about her dress. He doubted the same case applied with Cagalli. Firstly, he wasn't mad at her even though she continually made fun of his yellow sweater so surely, it would be unfair if she got angry over his comments on her clothes. Secondly, he hadn't said anything about her clothes anyway, though now that he thought about it, maybe that could be a problem too.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" A girl with short magenta-red hair smiled brightly at them, carrying a large textbook entitled 'Basic Physics'. It was Lunamaria Hawke, who they were both acquainted with even though she was in the grade below them.

"Yeah, sure," Athrun said casually as the red head waved to Cagalli who smiled back.

"Hn, I thought it'd be quieter to work in the library but I guess I was wrong," Luna mused, taking the seat beside Athrun.

The absentminded boy replied with another 'yeah' and noticed the blonde went back to working on her essay, paying no attention to him or the girl beside him.

"Mr Quell has been giving us so much homework lately. We're all thinking he's in a bad mood after we lost the competition last week," Luna said conversationally.

Athrun nodded. She was obviously talking about the competition at the science fair fieldtrip they went to last week. Being part of the science club, he had been present as well. "He's giving us a lot of homework too. There's no doubt he's disappointed. The whole point of bringing us there was for the competition and he was pretty confident we'd win."

"Well, it's not like we didn't try our best," Luna argued. "And we got third place so it's not that bad, right? You'd think he would be saying stuff like 'Good job, guys. It's okay we didn't win.'"

"I don't think that's Mr Quell's style." He chuckled.

The red head frowned as she flipped through the pages of her textbook. "Hn, I figured that out while he was lecturing us on the bus ride home," she muttered. "Honestly, he talked for the whole hour back. I'm surprised he didn't run out of breath and black out or something."

Athrun laughed but stopped abruptly as Cagalli suddenly stood up and roughly shoved her belongings into her bag.

"I'm going to eat lunch," said Cagalli quietly and without looking at the stunned boy, she hurried off toward the library doors.

Athrun stood up and was about to call after her when he noticed the muffin he brought earlier was still sitting on the other side of the table, looking abandoned. Retrieving the muffin, he sat back down and let out a defeated sigh.

"Looks like Athrun Zala is having some girl troubles." Lunamaria gave him an amused smile. "You know, in these cases, I think you're supposed to go after her."

Athrun threw the muffin into his backpack in the same way Cagalli had shoved her schoolwork in her bag just moments ago. "I think I should just let her cool off," he replied.

The younger girl shook her head in what seemed to be disappointment. "So...do you know what you did wrong?"

"No. I honestly have no idea," he said with exasperation.

Luna chewed on the top of her pencil in thought. "Hn, I think I might know what you did wrong then."

"W-what? You do?" Athrun was surprised. How could Lunamaria possibly know why Cagalli was mad at him when even he couldn't figure it out? He doubted the blonde confided in the younger girl since Cagalli didn't know Luna that well. After all, they had met through him since he and Luna were in the science club together.

Luna laughed at his shocked expression. "Yeah, but... I think it's best if you figure it out on your own." Giving him a pat on the back, she returned back to her textbook as she continued: "We, females, make for great companions but we require a lot of care and attention."

"You sound like that man who sells cats at the flea market," he mumbled and Luna gave him an offended look which he ignored. Athrun sighed loudly, wishing he could figure out what was on Cagalli's mind. As if answered by a higher being from above, he realized that the answer was, in some ways, right beside him.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 26, 81 C.E. - 6:57 PM -

It had been a tiring day for Cagalli. She didn't understand why some people treated shopping as their favourite hobby. Perhaps she was just picky, but it was so difficult to find something nice among the racks of clothing. After you find something, you also had to spend a good amount of time thinking whether the price was worth it. Then, you had to try it on and might be occasionally disappointed when the store employees tell you they ran out of your size. In Cagalli's opinion, shopping was quite stressful.

Nevertheless, she had agreed to the girls' day out with Miriallia and Lacus since it had been a while since the three went out together. That, and she had to admit she needed to revamp her wardrobe with some nice spring and summer clothes. Although she did not haul as much as the other two girls and mainly spent her time waiting for them and giving suggestions, Cagalli was still able to pick out several satisfying outfits, leaving her wallet considerably lighter.

After their shopping spree, the three decided to stop by Felicità, an Italian restaurant famous for its sweet and beautifully decorated desserts. As Cagalli took a bite out of her tiramisu, she knew she made the right choice of having a light main course. There was no doubt she would have to order seconds when it came to the tiramisus at Felicità.

Across from Cagalli, Miriallia also smiled contently as she began her dessert. "I love this place," she sighed.

Lacus, who was sitting beside Miriallia, let out a small giggle. "You came here last week, right?"

"How did you know?" questioned a shocked Miriallia.

"Cagalli told me you were on a date with someone."

"Oh my god! It wasn't a date," said the brunette defensively while she gave Cagalli an annoyed look. "Dearka and I are not dating."

Lacus gasped, and her brilliant blue eyes widened in surprise. "It was Dearka?" she asked.

There was a moment of silence at their table as Miriallia looked confusedly between her two friends. Cagalli ignored her as she continued indulging in her tiramisu. A jazz song was playing through the restaurant speakers as the diners around them continued to chat peacefully, drowning out the pitter-patter of the raindrops outside. Most of the tables in the restaurant were filled except a few scattered ones which had signs bearing the word 'reserved' on them. Far to Cagalli's left and past several tables, she could see a dark feminine figure standing outside the window sheltered by the building's canopy. Perhaps she was waiting for someone.

"Cagalli didn't tell me who you were on a date with," Lacus explained to save Miriallia from her confusion.

The brunette glared at Cagalli who was giving her a Cheshire cat smile. "Right, well, anyway, it was only a dinner," Miriallia said quickly.

"Oh..." Lacus took a bite from her Lemon tart, suddenly deep in thought. "I hope it doesn't seem odd that I ask this then. I was going to ask to ask earlier but..." She trailed off and took a quick sip from her glass of water. "You see, Kira and I are looking for emcees for our wedding. Naturally, we thought of letting Cagalli and Athrun do it but neither of them was very keen on taking on the job so I was wondering if you'd be interested."

Miriallia seemed to consider the idea for a moment, not understanding why Lacus thought the request was 'odd'. After a moment, she answered with a smile: "Sure, why not?"

"Well, we were thinking of having two emcees and the other person happens to be Dearka. This honestly has nothing to do with the two of you going out last weekend. Cagalli didn't tell me-"

Cagalli suddenly interrupted Lacus, smiling innocently. "It was my mistake. Miriallia and Dearka are _just friends_, Lacus. I'm sure she will have no problem working with her _friend_."

Miriallia gave the blonde another glare but responded confidently anyway. "That's right; there's no problem. I'll do it, Lacus."

"Thank you, Miri," Lacus said happily, giving the brunette a hug while also secretly winking at Cagalli who sat across from them. "I think you will do great."

They returned their attention back to their dessert, talking once again about the upcoming wedding. There was still much to be planned and Cagalli couldn't help but wonder whether her soon-to-be sister-in-law was stressed from it all. There was still excitement in Lacus's eyes but she also looked nervous as she talked about her and Kira's failed attempt to find a wedding cake design.

"I just can't decide what I want the cake to be like. Kira's no help; of course, he's only interested in the flavours," Lacus said biting her lips.

Miriallia opened her mouth to reply but stopped short as she stared at something off to the distance behind Cagalli. "Hey, look, isn't that..."

With her back facing the front entrance of the restaurant, Cagalli turned around to follow Miriallia's gaze. A waiter was leading two individuals from the front doors to one of the reserved table. One of them, the man, she recognized to be Athrun. The woman, whose back was facing Cagalli, was probably the figure who was waiting outside the building some minutes ago but now that she was in the warm light of the restaurant, Cagalli wasn't sure what to think of her.

"Oh, it's Athrun," Lacus voiced out.

"Yeah," Miriallia responded. "And that girl he's with... she looks like ...um, someone I know..."

Cagalli was glad that despite her earlier teasing on the brunette, Miriallia did not say the statement that probably mirrored her thoughts. If the woman with Athrun wasn't wearing a flowing lavender dress, Cagalli would think she was having a bad dream and seeing herself in third person. The woman looked like her, being a little short in stature and having shoulder-length blond hair.

As they approached their designated table, Athrun held a chair out for the mysterious lady, who sat down, before taking his own seat. Cagalli could only see the side of the woman's face and was glad this was not a nightmare in which she finds out she actually had another twin sibling. The woman's face resembled her to a certain extent as well but her features were evidently rounder, giving her a more innocent and child-like appearance. Cagalli could see her smiling pleasantly as the waiter handed them their menus and walked away.

"Perhaps I shall go and say hello," Lacus said quietly as she slipped out of her seat and made her way across to the other side of the restaurant.

Cagalli watched as Athrun's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Lacus approaching him. He stood and gave her a charming smile then a hug, before introducing his companion to her. Lacus shook hands with the blonde lady before saying something and pointing over to the table she had just left. The woman and Athrun both directed their gaze towards their table and as Athrun's eyes met hers, Cagalli quickly turned away.

Ignoring Miriallia, who was waving to the three individuals across the restaurant, Cagalli returned her attention to her tiramisu. She didn't want to look at him right now, not when she could feel the familiar pang that she could recognize as jealousy. She knew she had no right and if she could choose, she would definitely choose not to be jealous but emotion was always something she had trouble controlling. She took a rather large bite from her dessert trying to get a hold of herself. Why did he have to have dinner here, of all places? Did his date enjoy Felicità's tiramisus like her?

The fact that she had seen herself in Athrun's companion made her feel even worse. She couldn't help but wonder whether Athrun thought of her when he was with that woman. If he really was on a date...If he was dating a woman who looked like her, did that mean he wasn't over her? But then again, the similarities could only be true in terms of their appearance. Maybe the woman was nothing like her in other aspects. After all, the woman was in a pretty flower dress which, Cagalli was sure, she would never wear. Or maybe, the woman was like her, but better in some ways, which was the reason why Athrun liked her.

She did not pay attention as Lacus returned to their table saying Athrun seemed to be 'having dinner with a friend'. As Cagalli finished her tiramisu, she concluded that she didn't want seconds after all. Right now, all she wanted was to get out of there so she wouldn't drown in her thoughts. She just wanted to go home, huddle in bed, and have a good sleep. She stared out the window to her far left and watched the rain hit the black cement floor outside, not noticing the worried glances her friends were giving her.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- December 12, 71 C.E. - 4:44 PM -

Athrun was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall as he waited. The hallways were empty and quiet but there was something welcoming about the place. Perhaps it was the warmth from the sunlight streaming through the windows but it felt comfortable. It also made him feel sleepy but as the doors in front of him open, he sat up straight.

Cagalli let out a small gasp as she opened the door. She had obviously not expected someone to be sitting right in front of it. Stepping towards him, she asked in a somewhat irritated voice: "Why are you still here?"

"Waiting for you," Athrun answered and he stood up, brushing lint off his jeans.

"Do you know how odd it looks for a guy to sit right across from the girl's change room door?"

"...Sorry," Athrun said as Cagalli took out her puppet-like mittens from her coat pocket to put them on. He followed her as she made her way towards the exit.

The air was frigid and the occasional winter breeze felt like needles against his skin. Athrun remained quiet as he walked, trailing slightly behind the uncharacteristically quiet blonde. He waited to see whether she would say anything but as the minutes passed, the only sound remained to be the loud crunching of snow beneath their feet.

Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist lightly and she turned around eyeing him questioningly.

"What?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"You already asked that ...and I already answered."

Athrun stared at Cagalli as she continued to avoid his gaze. Hoping his next question won't rub her the wrong way, he plunged on. "Are you...jealous then?"

As expected, his girlfriend pulled her arm away roughly. "No, Why would I be jealous?" she answered sharply.

"Well... I don't know," he said truthfully. How was he supposed to know why girls get jealous so easily? To be honest, he wasn't immune to that negative emotion either. Earlier this school year, there was an exchange student, Ahmed Alfasi, who stayed with them for a month and he had felt a pang of jealousy too when he noticed how well the guy had gotten along with Cagalli. He suspected Ahmed wanted to ask the blonde out at first since the foreign teen looked evidently disappointed when he found out she was dating Athrun.

He had been jealous, but that hadn't gotten in the way of their relationship. He hated the feeling just as much as anyone else but he was also glad. It was only healthy for a relationship to have some jealousy in it and he had been right. The way he had felt when Cagalli and Ahmed joked around eventually made him realize how much he loved her and cherished her. In addition, he came to understand that she was not to be taken for granted as he was not the only fish in the sea. Even though Athrun had been jealous, he hadn't said anything. Thinking back, he didn't know why he kept it to himself. A part of him knew that it was just a petty feeling and in the end, everything would be alright because he trusted her.

But now, jealousy was between them again and she had gone as far as to avoid him. He was curious whether she just didn't perceive jealousy in the way he did or whether she just didn't trust him. He genuinely hoped it was not the latter.

"You're not really talking to me these days and... when Luna came over to us in the library today..." Athrun trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Cagalli continued to stubbornly avoid his eyes while she bit her lower lip.

Feeling frustrated, he let out a heated sigh. "Look, Luna and I are just friends. If you really must know, she likes this guy in her chemistry class. I think his name is Shinn. She told me so, and I'm supposed to keep it a secret so don't tell anyone. And I ...I'm madly in love with this blonde who sits beside me in English class."

Finally, her eyes met his as a small amused smile played on her lips. However, there was still something hesitant about her amber eyes, as if the usual fire in them were dying out.

He cupped her cheeks gently and drew closer, starting to feel desperate. "Just trust me, okay?"

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's more like..." Cagalli pulled away, briefly biting on her lower lip again before continuing. "...I don't believe in myself," she said sadly. "I mean, it's not like I think you're cheating on me or something. And I don't think you have feelings for Luna either. I don't really know why anyway but sometimes, I guess... I just sort of feel...incompetent."

A particularly harsh breeze howled against Athrun's ears, berating him for not focusing on Cagalli's words. He was captivated by the way her blonde hair flew with the rhythm of the wind and by the way her cheeks had been painted pink by the cold.

"...what?" He asked stupidly.

Cagalli looked away with a bit of disappointment and it made Athrun feel guilty for not paying attention to what she was saying.

"She's pretty, and smart, and outgoing...and it's not just Luna. There are so many girls out there that are... better than me and... it just makes me think that maybe ...you're better off with someone else," she finished in a bare whisper, looking away from him.

Athrun was stunned as he waited for Cagalli's words to register in his mind. He was wrong. She wasn't jealous because she didn't trust him but rather because she didn't think she was good enough. The notion made his heart constrict. Despite her strong attitude and stubborn ways, this was one of those rare moments when he was able to see how vulnerable she was and he was once again reminded that she was just like any other girl, haunted by insecurities.

He wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek against the crown of her head. "You're such an idiot," he whispered. Such a comment would have normally earned him a punch on the arm and he would actually prefer that to the unusual response he was getting this time. It took a moment before Cagalli slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled closer against his chest. He could hear her sniffing and he hoped it was from the cold and that she was not crying.

After a long moment, he pulled back. He was glad there were no tears because he was not experienced with stemming them. Nevertheless, Cagalli was looking up at him with the expression of an abandoned kitten.

He rested his hands on her neck, feeling the warmth there as one of his thumbs lightly caressed a spot below her ear. "You're beautiful," Athrun said simply and he smiled at the way she continued to stare at him. It was a blank and expectant stare as if she already knew he was going to say that. Perhaps she thought they were empty words and so, she was waiting for more. Although he was not experienced at dealing with a girl's insecurities, he figured it was best to be honest right now. The blonde just needed a reminder of what really mattered.

"I mean it. You're smart and brave and stubborn too but you already know all that." He took a deep breath. "Cagalli, there will always be someone out there better than you in some way. Always. But that doesn't make you any less of a person. And more importantly, it doesn't mean I'll love you any less. I don't care if there's someone prettier, or smarter, or whatever. I love you, flaws and all. Even if you're horrendous at baking or if you have no idea what I'm rambling about when I talk about electronics, I'll still love you."

He was never an expressive person and he really didn't know how to describe the way he felt about her in words. He only knew he loved her. He dropped a light kiss on her forehead, hoping the action will not cause the pool in her eyes to spill. "Have faith in yourself," he said.

Cagalli gave a tiny nod and a hesitant smile.

Athrun couldn't help but return her smile as he leaned in closer. "I love _you_. Just you," he whispered before sealing her lips. He couldn't be any happier when he felt her return his kiss without hesitance. It wasn't a particularly passionate kiss, and it most definitely was not rushed. It was gentle, slow, and tender and at that moment, Athrun was certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving her.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 25, 81 C.E. - 9:00 PM –

He drummed his fingers silently on the steering wheel as he stared at the long rows of red lights ahead of him. It had been ten minutes and his car hadn't moved a single inch. Far ahead, flashes of emergency vehicles stood stationary beside what seemed to be a horrible accident between several cars and a large truck.

Athrun sighed and leaned back against the driver's seat. His patience was thinning and the loud bass of the car beside his was not helping the situation. His thoughts of rolling down the windows and telling the neighbouring driver to shut it down along with a few indecent words were distracted by a small ring of his phone. Taking it out, he read the newly received text:

_Ok, I've made a reservation for 7. See you tomorrow, Athrun. (:_

He typed a quick polite 'okay' and sent it before placing his phone back in his pocket.

Athrun felt guilty since the honest truth was that he was dreading tomorrow's dinner. He wasn't much of a people person and having a quiet dinner at home certainly suited him fine. Thus, the idea of having dinner with a co-worker he was not well acquainted with was not exactly the way he'd want to spend the evening. Stellar Loussier was persistent though and he silently hoped that after tomorrow, she would stop bugging him. He had only helped her with a small favour at work and the young researcher offered to treat him for dinner. Despite his continuous decline, Stellar insisted and kept trying to contact him to ask when he was free.

Although the girl was a bit quirky in that she would sometimes speak in third person, Stellar was a very nice person. He wouldn't mind getting to know her better but his first impression of her was that she reminded him of his ex-girlfriend and that made him feel quite uncomfortable. Perhaps if she grew her hair out longer, he'd be able to stop thinking of Cagalli every time he saw her.

There was no doubt that Stellar was not like Cagalli at all. Her calm and quiet demeanor was a clear contrast to Cagalli's fiery and unpredictable personality. However, before he had learned what Stellar was like, the image of her being a look-alike to his ex had already been deeply imprinted in his mind.

He remembered that day when he stepped into the research department and saw Stellar for the first time. He had done a quick double-take and stared at her back for a good minute before he could convince himself that she was in fact, not Cagalli. The realization made him inwardly scold himself. After all, why would Cagalli be in Morgenroete of all places? For a reason he could not explain, the event made him angry with himself and he only began to feel better when Kira confessed he had almost mistaken Stellar for his sister as well.

Athrun moved his car forward by a meter or so, following the shift in the lineup.

In truth, maybe he did know why the event made him angry. It was also the reason why he didn't want to be around Stellar at all. The girl was like a bright lighted sign reminding him, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, that he missed Cagalli. It was as if a being from above had sent Stellar to haunt him and amplify that feeling of regret he had always had about leaving Orb when he was seventeen.

As Athrun sat facing the angry red tail lamp of the car in front of him, he recognized the familiar thoughts coming back to visit him. He had no excuse to be missing her when he was the one who chose to leave in the first place. If only he had lost her to someone else, then maybe things would have been different. Maybe he could've let go more easily. But he had lost her willingly for his own selfish decision; he had chosen something else over her and because of that, he didn't have the faith in himself to love her again. She deserved better.

He learned he could only blame himself. It was his own fault, no matter how much he wanted to put the blame on someone else... someone like his father... or someone like Yzak Joule...

_Two teenage boys sat in the orange glow of the sunset, their backs against the red brick walls of the school._

"_I heard you and your father arguing the other day on your front lawn."_

"_I didn't know Yzak Joule does such lowly things like eavesdropping."_

_A glare. "I was only passing by. It's not my fault you two were yelling so loudly."_

"_You heard then, how he wants me to go to ZAFT."_

"_Yeah, and I heard the things he said about Cagalli too."_

"_...It's already hard enough to be leaving. Now he wants me to break up with her too."_

"_You should go, Athrun. Your mother would've wanted that. It's the right thing for you to do as a Zala."_

"_Easy for you to say."_

"_I'm leaving too. Just because I don't have a girlfriend doesn't mean there aren't reasons that make me wish I could stay. I have dreams too, that aren't related to that big company my family owns... But leaving for me...for the both of us, it's the right thing to do for our family names."_

"_And what do I tell Cagalli?"_

"_Just tell her you've found someone else. Even if it's not true now, it'll be true eventually. Just borrow a family friend, say a few words and make it look convincing."_

"_..."_

"_Your mother always said you would make your father proud."_

A loud honk pulled Athrun out of his reverie. After a few seconds of confusion, he moved his car a meter forward again. He wasn't getting anywhere.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Is it easier to empathize with Athrun now that you know he didn't actually cheat on Cagalli/find a replacement for her? Does it make a difference since the fact that he left her remains the same? And how do you all like Yzak? Just some questions for you to review about. So send me a review, yes? (:

I don't think I'm very confident with my writing. When I first write something and reread it, it's 'pretty good'. But after a while when I reread it again, it's 'agh, maybe I should rewrite this'. I don't really know what's wrong with me. Also, how was the third scene? I feel like it's a problem if the author is going "Gah, that's so corny". x) Heh.

Anyways, I hope I stop procrastinating and get this done quickly. Then maybe I can get back to writing one-shots.

(July 1, 2013 – Happy Canada Day, my fellow Canadians! :D)


	7. Chapter 07

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny.

**Author's Note:** Thank you such much for all the reviews. Honestly, they really do motivate me to write. When I start procrastinating, I think about how I might be letting some of you down if I don't hurry up and get this done. xP I hope this wasn't too long of a wait. I actually didn't think I'd finish this week but I was able to sit down and plough through the second half of the chapter in one day, so yay. (:

I also feel bad because I haven't really been a committed reviewer myself. I've developed this bad habit of skimming and not actually reading a story because anything I start to seriously read gets cursed and never updated again (anyone else gets this feeling?). Hopefully, I can take some time to actually read something soon and by then, if any of you get a review from me, please don't suddenly discontinue your stories. x)

Aside from being a great motivation, I did enjoy reading your reviews about Athrun leaving and whether you thought it mattered that he didn't find someone to replace Cagalli. I think there were several different opinions to that and it was interesting to read them. So, thank you for your responses! :D

Hope you enjoy chapter 7. (:

* * *

**Chapter 07: Memories**

- April 30, 81 C.E. - 1:12 PM -

"Just use the keys I gave you last time."

Cagalli cringed at the loud voice coming from her phone. Her mother always had a habit of speaking loudly on the line. She looked around, feeling self-conscious that someone might be able to hear their conversation. It wasn't as if they were speaking of anything private but she didn't want to disturb the silence for anyone else. The drug store was quiet and everything in there seemed to emit some sort of white pristine vibe. It was ironic that the place felt so pure and clean when most of its visitors were likely contaminated with illness.

"Sweetheart, are you still there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Cagalli said distractedly.

Her mother sighed. "I gave you keys last time, remember? So you can visit more often?" She asked.

"Yeah, I remember. I just wanted to let you know I'm coming though." Cagalli grabbed a box of aspirin off the shelf and placed it in the red plastic basket.

"Okay, the albums are in the study upstairs. They're in the drawer," Via informed.

"I thought you said you'll be home." Cagalli reached into her coat pocket and withdrew a creased piece of paper with a list written in neat slanted writing. The next and last article on the list: shampoo. She looked around the large store, before heading over to the aisle of hair products.

"I will but just in case, I thought I'd tell you."

"Okay. I'll see you later then, mom."

"Alright, see you later."

The blonde hung up her phone before putting it back in her handbag. Even though her mother had given her keys to visit more often, Cagalli felt guilty since that wasn't her complete intention. Not that she didn't love her mother, but she just had other things on her mind. The main reason why she was paying her mother a visit was because she needed photos of Kira.

It was very popular for weddings these days to have slideshows or videos showing pictures of the bride and groom. They mostly revolved around events during their childhood, when they met and fell in love, and so on. It was only right that someone other than the bride and groom made the video since it was supposed to be a tribute to them and seeing that Kira and Lacus already had enough on their hands anyway, Athrun had volunteered to make the video. However, Cagalli thought it'd only be fair if she helped too since their roles in the wedding are equivalent. She wasn't sure if it was competitiveness or guilt but she offered to help look for pictures. Being the groom's sister, it would be an easy job for her to find pictures of him.

And so, she found herself on a random Wednesday afternoon, calling her mother and informing her she would visit later that day. It wasn't very common for her to visit her mother on a weekday but then again, it was even more uncommon for her to be doing someone else's shopping.

Cagalli looked down the aisle of hair products and suddenly felt confused. "How do I know what type of shampoo he uses?" she mumbled under her breath. Consulting her list again and hoping for some advice, she realized she'd just have to guess. The creased piece of paper simply said 'shampoo' on it with no brand or descriptions whatsoever. She stood for a moment, staring at the shelf of bottles and cursorily examined each one. There were bottles of shampoos in all shape and sizes. Many of them had pictures of women smiling about their beautiful shiny hair which was likely digitally edited. Maybe she should just pick the one with the prettiest woman on it. In some part of her head, she could hear an imaginary clock ticking away.

Finally, she smiled a mirthful smile and picked out a light grey bottle featuring a woman with silver blonde hair. Surely, the shampoo that said 'for a shine like platinum' was the perfect choice for Yzak Joule.

After a quick check out, Cagalli exited the drug store with a plastic bag in hand. She walked quickly, hoping that the light drizzle will not turn into a downpour in the few minutes that it would take for her to reach her workplace. It was always raining these days. The city was covered by the grey blanket of clouds and the sun was nowhere in sight. Faintly, she heard a soft rumble from above.

By the time she entered the office, her hair was frizzled from the light rain. She made her way towards one of the oak brown doors and knocked several times.

"He's not here, princess. He's already left for court," said a voice from behind her.

Cagalli turned the handle and opened the door to reveal the empty room. "But he told me to buy this stuff for him?" She said, wiggling the plastic bag in front of her boss.

Andrew Waltfeld shrugged and took a sip of his coffee, likely the fifth or sixth cup by this time of day. "Just leave it in his room. I don't think he's coming back today." He turned around to return to his room. "Oh, and if you're out to run errands for our hot-headed lawyer again, can you please pick up a bag of sugar for me? We're almost out."

The blonde sighed and entered Yzak's office to put the bag on his desk, mentally making a note to ask him for payment.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- April 30, 81 C.E. - 4:56 PM -

The rain only got worse by the time Cagalli was driving towards her mother's house. Her windshield wipers were moving at maximum speed and still, she could barely see through the heavy rain. Just as she turned the corner and saw her destination, her heart leapt in fright. Whether it was from the sudden loud thunder or from the sight of a familiar black car sitting on her mother's driveway, she wasn't sure.

Cagalli parked her car and quickly ran for the porch. Another thunder sounded nearby just as she entered the warm shelter of her mother's home and shut the door behind her. There was no noise aside from the rain from outside. It was strangely quiet and Cagalli wondered if the house was empty. But she had called earlier and her mom had said she'd be home. _His_ car was also sitting outside just beside hers. Tentatively, she moved around with silent steps, looking for signs of life. The kitchen was empty, and so was the living room and den. She looked out the backyard window too, even though it was highly unlikely that they'd be sitting outside enjoying tea in the rain.

She was about to return to the living room when she turned and bumped into someone. She let out a gasp as took a step back while a hand reached out to steady her.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" Athrun asked. "I wasn't sure if I heard the front door closing or if it was just the thunder."

The windows flashed as lightning struck outside.

Cagalli shook her head, feeling embarrassed. "...What are you doing here?"

"Looking for photos. I figured your mother would have kept a lot of them," he replied, letting go of her arm.

She frowned and said in a rather defensive tone: "I thought I was in charge of getting Kira's photos."

"You are. But you haven't contacted me since last time at the dress shop so I thought you forgot..."

"Oh..."

"Come, they're upstairs," Athrun said as he motioned for her to follow.

She quietly walked after him. "Where's mom?"

"She left a little while ago after letting me in," he answered casually

She stopped midway up the stairs. "She left? Why?"

"I think she said she's meeting some friends."

"Oh..." she repeated. It was a lie. Her mother probably decided to leave the two of them here for who know what reasons. Well, maybe she was with friends or maybe she was sitting in a cafe having some coffee. Who knows? It seems their conversation from last time wasn't enough to convince her mom that she and Athrun weren't getting back together. The blonde sighed tiredly.

They reached the brightly lit study room. The rest of the house was dark and cold but the study seemed to emit warmness. Inside, albums were stacked on the table, most of them closed. One was opened, likely the one Athrun had been looking at before he went downstairs. She smiled at a photo of her five year old self attempting to push Kira off the swings. Picking up the stack of albums, she settled on the floor, sitting crossed legged and placing the albums in front of her.

Athrun followed and brought the opened album with him. He sat across from her, his back facing the open door leading to the dark hallway.

"Close the door," Cagalli instructed.

"Hm?"

"Close the door," she repeated.

He stared at her for a moment but then seemed to understand. He smiled softly and did as he was told.

The blonde laid out the albums in front of her and randomly chose one as if choosing a card from a deck. She opened it to find baby pictures of her and Kira.

"You were at Felicità the other day," Athrun said quietly.

Cagalli looked up at him but he was staring down at the photographs. "So?"

"Lacus said you guys went shopping together,"

She really didn't understand why he was bringing the topic up all of a sudden. "So what if we went shopping together?" she asked briskly.

"I was having dinner with a colleague."

The rain outside continued to beat against the window.

She looked back down at the album in her hand, taking one of Kira's baby photos from the plastic compartment. "So I've heard," She mumbled. She doesn't care. It's not any of her business who he's having dinner with.

"Her name's Stellar," he said in a casual manner and looked at her hesitantly. "Kira said she looks like you."

"Ah, she must be pretty then," she replied sarcastically, pretending not to pay much attention.

Athrun let out a chuckle, surprised at her response. "Yeah, she is..."

She took out another photograph. This time, it was a photo of her and Kira sitting in a playpen. Her brother was cutely hugging a teddy bear while she was chewing on a rubber toy. Cagalli tried to ignore the man in front of her. It had only been five minutes but she already felt annoyed.

So he thought the woman he had dinner with was pretty. Did he really have to share that with her? She tried to stop the pout from forming on her lips as she felt some strange negative feeling welling up inside of her. She noticed he returned to flipping the booklet in his hands and hoped it was a sign that he would stop talking for a while.

Another lightning flashed outside followed by a loud rumble of thunder. The clock sitting on top of the drawer was ticking loudly as if to announce the passing of time.

Minutes passed as they browsed through their respective albums in silence and occasionally took out photos to add to a small pile on the side. She watched as he added another photo to the pile but this time it wasn't a photo of Kira. It was a photo of her around six or seven, wearing a pastel green dress and a bright smile that mirrored the garden of sunflowers behind her. Cagalli looked up to find Athrun flipping through his album again. She wondered whether if he was really using that for the slideshow or if he just liked the photo or if he had taken out the wrong one. A strange feeling kept her from asking and she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

She flipped the album page again and saw a picture of her birth parents. They stood together holding her and Kira in their arms, smiling at the camera. She loved the Hibikis but as an adopted child, she had, at one point, wondered what it would be like if her birth parents hadn't died. It wasn't as if she felt it would have been significantly better. As a child, she had just been curious. She still wondered sometimes, how different her life would have been. She was grateful though; Via and Ulen Hibiki had adopted her and Kira and loved them as their own. Her father had passed away a little after she and Kira graduated from high school but they still had their mother.

Glancing up, she saw Athrun reach for another album from the pile as he put his to the side.

"Remember last time when you told me you graduated on Heliopolis?"

He looked up at her with a questioning gaze and nodded.

"I thought you went to ZAFT," she said softly.

"I did at first...but then some things happened and I dropped out," he told her.

The blonde bit her bottom lip in thought. "What did you father say then?"

He smiled a bit sadly. "Well, he was the reason why I dropped out. I guess you can say we had an argument and I left."

"Have you spoken to him since then?"

"No."

She hadn't known. She always thought he went to ZAFT and graduated there. When she heard from Kira that they were working together at Morgenroete, she had assumed that perhaps Athrun had finally talked to his father and the older Zala agreed to let his son choose the career he wanted. If that was the case, she would have been happy for him. But she was wrong.

Cagalli looked down at the floor, her hands playing with the carpet. "Do you ...regret going to ZAFT then?"

Athrun flipped through the photo album in his hands. "...Yeah, I do," he answered. He took a deep breath, thinking of all the things he wanted to say. "Some things...would have been better."

She nodded even though he wasn't looking.

"Sometimes, I wish I could put the blame on someone else... like my father or those that encouraged me and persuaded me to leave," he explained. "If not for them, maybe I wouldn't have made the wrong choice."

Cagalli didn't respond. She didn't know how to respond but she understood why he felt this way. If he hadn't left, things might have been better for him. Maybe he and his father wouldn't have fought. Maybe he and she would still be together. He had every right to be angry.

Athrun must have sensed her silence as he did not say anything more. The two of them sat quietly as they continued looking through the photos.

She placed aside her album and reached for a new one from the stack. This one was filled with photographs from their teen years. A lot of them were taken by Miriallia. She remembered when her friend had obsessively brought her camera with her everywhere and took photos of them when they weren't looking. Even so, the occupants in the photos were all smiling brightly, brighter than in the normal posed photo and after all these years, she was glad Miriallia had taken them.

There were photos of them when they went to the beach together. Some were depicting a volleyball game they were playing, some had Dearka surfing on the waves, and some had no people in it but only beautiful scenery. Several photos showed Miriallia and Tolle picking up seashells by the shoreline. Cagalli took out a photo of Kira and Lacus holding hands and sitting together by a palm tree. Beside that, was a photo of herself being hit by a volleyball and then, another photo with Athrun beside her, laughing and rubbing her head while she glared at him.

She turned the page and the settings of the photos changed. It was a Halloween party they went to at school. She was wearing a green dress and an ugly matching cone-shape head. Miriallia and Lacus were dressed similarly except in red and blue respectively. She couldn't remember whose idea it was but that year, they dressed up as the three faeries from 'Sleeping Beauty'. Kira, Athrun, and Yzak were the three musketeers while Dearka played the role of their king. She took out a photo of Kira posing in his armored outfit with Lacus pretending to swoon beside him.

Once again, she turned the page. The next set of photos was taken at the park in the neighbourhood they used to live in. She remembered that day, humid and overcast and likely to rain at any moment. It was right after they had all finished their exams and consequently, their junior year of high school. Having nothing else better to do yet not wanting to go home, they hung out at the park just talking and playing around. She smiled at the photograph of Dearka sliding down from the playground set which was evidently not for his size. Nevertheless, his arms were out and he was smiling like a child on Christmas morning. Another photo depicted Yzak sitting on one of the rocking horses with an expression completely opposite from Dearka's. The platinum-haired teen looked clearly bored and was staring into space without noticing the photographer had targeted him. Lastly, there was a photo of Kira and Lacus sitting on the roundabout, holding hands and smiling pleasantly for the camera. Despite the grey clouds in the sky, a streak of sunlight passed through and enveloped them in an ethereal glow. The blonde slipped this photograph out as well and added it to the growing pile before flipping to the next page.

She stopped short as her eyes landed on the photographs of the new page. The sky was still grey and she remembered it to be the same day but the setting was slightly different. The photographs now took place in another area of the park. She remembered she had been bored at the playground so Athrun had pulled her along to take a walk through the rose garden. Briefly, she wondered whether her photographer friend had to hide in the bushes of those thorned plants to take these photos. At that time, she and Athrun was really just walking through the area wearily without much interest but looking at the photos now, Cagalli thought they looked sort of romantic. The two of them were holding hands, talking and laughing in some of them while walking quietly in others. She blushed as she noticed a few photos of them between stolen kisses as they sat on a bench in the middle of the garden.

Cagalli felt her heart ache at the memories. Back then, they were young and innocent and so very much in love. She could almost see it all through the photos. The way they looked and smiled at each other reminded her how their relationship used to be. They had been happy together. She turned the page again and the settings changed once more.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- February 18, 72 C.E. - 2:12 PM -

The blonde looked out the window to her left. The sun had finally decided to visit after a long week of gloomy weather and the sunlight was causing the sheet of snow outside to sparkle like diamonds. However, there was a long way to go before spring's arrival since the temperature was still near freezing. She could almost feel the icy air radiating through the window.

Cagalli returned her attention back to the boy in front of her, two mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of tiramisu between them.

"You think it'll snow again this week?" she asked.

Athrun shrugged, his hands wrapped around a warm mug. "I don't mind as long as it's not like the blizzard we got the other day."

She smiled impishly. "Why not? School was cancelled and I got to sleep in. It was awesome."

"Lazy," the boy said simply and poked her on the cheek.

Cagalli pouted. "Stop being such a model student, Athrun. You like sleeping in too," she accused, before taking a bite from the dessert between them.

"Well, yes, I do. But I can't say I enjoyed losing electricity for 12 hours."

"But that was fun too! We got to light candles and huddle around the living room. And we finally got to use that good-for-nothing fireplace of ours," The blonde said animatedly.

"_You_ got to light candles and huddle around. I had to trek through a meter of snow to get to your place and by then, I was frozen to the bones."

Cagalli laughed at her boyfriend's misery. "But it was fun, right? Staying up and playing monopoly? It was much better than if you'd stayed at home by yourself."

"Yeah... I would have preferred sleeping beside you though," he said playfully, earning a blush and a glare from the blonde. "What? Kira's a rough sleeper. I swear he kicked me a few good times."

She muttered something that sounded very similar to "pervert" before taking another bite of the tiramisu and handing him the fork. They were sharing the dessert since she was feeling cautious about her weight these days. He, on the other hand, tried to convince her otherwise because according to him, there was absolutely no problem with her weight. That, and because tiramisus were one of the few desserts that he actually liked.

"Anyway, do you know what today is?" Athrun asked nonchalantly.

"...Sunday?" Cagalli said uncertainly. She saw Athrun nod with a smile that could not mask the disappointment in his eyes. She wasn't dense enough to forget that one year today, they had gone skating together and more importantly, shared their first kiss. One just simply did not forget things like that. However, they previously agreed not to celebrate their one year anniversary. After all, why should love be measured by time? If you truly loved someone and hoped to share a lifetime with them, then why should a measly year matter? She blushed, suddenly realizing what that thought just meant. She was only sixteen and she was already thinking about living the rest of her life with him. She mentally whacked herself for thinking such hopeless romantic thoughts.

Even though they'd said they wouldn't celebrate the occasion, he had called and asked if she wanted to grab coffee or more precisely, hot chocolate together and she figured it would be brought up anyways.

'It's also the fourth day after Valentine's," she commented.

He raised an eyebrow.

"And the day after Mir's birthday."

A nod.

"And..." she paused for effect and watched as he smiled, a genuine smile this time. "Our one year anniversary," she finished.

Athrun chuckled. "So you didn't forget?"

Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Why would I forget? I'm not _that_ forgetful."

"Really, now?" He teased.

She narrowed her eyes at him and took the fork from him forcefully, then pointed the pronged utensil at him. "I'm not."

Athrun laughed and raised his hands up defensively. "Whatever you say then." After she returned to peacefully eating her tiramisu, he spoke again. "Well, since I _thought_ you were forgetful, I got you a gift to help remember some dates."

Cagalli looked up, alarmed. "Don't tell me you got me an agenda. You know I don't use those."

He reached over, wiping the crumbs off the corner of her lips with his thumb. "No, that's no-"

"And I thought we said we're not celebrating the anniversary, so why the gift?" she interrupted with a rather distressed tone.

"I had the idea before we agreed to not celebrating so I decided to make it anyways. You don't have to think of it as an anniversary gift," Athrun replied calmly.

"You made something?" asked Cagalli. "Let me guess, it's a scarf?"

"And how is a scarf supposed to help you remember things?" He said amusedly.

"Oh..." The blonde deflated a little. "What is it then?"

Athrun reached into his coat pocket and produced a hand-sized notebook. He placed it on the table and pushed it towards her hesitantly.

The hard cover of the booklet was plain and dark blue. It certainly resembled those personal organizers they sold at the book store. Cagalli frowned as she looked from the booklet to her boyfriend.

"Open it," he instructed.

Tentatively, the blonde picked up the dark blue notebook and opened to the first page.

It really wasn't an agenda since the pages of the notebook were not lined, but blank. More importantly, the book was used and covered with drawings.

The first page was dated February 18, 71 C.E. in permanent marker with random drawings throughout the page. In the corner, there was an image of her mittens. In another, there was a miniature Athrun and Cagalli skating. Then, there was a drawing of her frowning with a quote bubble that said 'my hands are cold'. At the bottom of the page, there was them kissing under a crescent-shaped moon.

Cagalli laughed happily, feeling giddy as she flipped through the notebook.

They were all memories that they shared throughout the year, ranging from very trivial to special events. The time they went to watch a movie together. The time he taught her how to play pool and she accidently jabbed him in the stomach while trying to shoot. The time they went to the amusement park with their friends and escaped from them to go on the Ferris wheel. The time she made fun of his yellow sweater. The time he visited her when she was sick. The time he held her on a cold winter day and said he loved only her.

Everything was there with drawings and quotes. They might not have been the exact things they said at the time but they were close. The pages were dated too and in all honestly, she couldn't even be sure if all those were correct. She wondered whether he had marked everything in advance because he planned on making this notebook or if he just had amazing memory. Whichever the case, she was touched.

Her boyfriend was staring at her shyly and she couldn't help but lean over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You know, this is usually something the girl does," Cagalli said lightheartedly.

"Well, you can't draw and someone has to do it," Athrun joked. "Do you like it?"

Cagalli nodded. "Thank you," she said sincerely. She watched him relax again, relieved that he liked her gift. "But you know it's not done..." she stated while flipping to the last drawn page. There was still about a quarter of the book unused and the last drawn page was surprisingly dated February 18, 72 C.E. with a picture of them sitting in a cafe.

"I can't exactly read the future, Cagalli."

She blushed, embarrassed. "I know that. It's just...what about the rest?"

Athrun frowned. "Is that a hint that I should make another one for next year?"

She tilted her head in mock thought and gave him an innocent smile. "Maybe you should..."

The blue-haired teen chuckled.

"I feel kind of guilty now since I didn't get you anything," Cagalli said sheepishly.

"It's okay. We agreed not to, remember?"

"Yeah, but then _someone_ broke the agreement," she stressed. "So..." She turned slightly and reached for the coat hung around her chair. She dug in her pocket and pulled out her grey cat mitten. "You can have this."

Athrun looked at her amusingly. "You're giving me your mitten?"

The blonde nodded. "You said they were cute, remember?" She held out the mitten for him

"Yeah but..." He took the mitten but stared at it in confusion. It wasn't very often someone offers you one of their mittens as a gift. He laughed at the absurdity. "This is probably the weirdest gift I've ever gotten."

She smiled playfully. "You're welcome."

"What about you then? I mean, are you just going to wear one from now on?"

"Nah, Mom bought me a new pair a while ago because she said these were too childish. I just didn't want to wear them and make her think she's right."

Athrun put the grey cat mitten on his right hand. "I think I'll name her Cagalli," he said thoughtfully.

Cagalli looked at him incredulously. "What? No, you can't."

He tilted his head, amusement playing in his eyes. "Why not?" he countered.

"Because it's a _he_ and _his_ name is Timothy," argued Cagalli.

"Says who?"

"Me," she replied simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, it's mine now so I say _her_ name is Cagalli."

The blonde pouted. "Who would name a cat after their girlfriend? How would you feel if I got a dog and named it Athrun?"

"I would be honoured," Athrun joked, placing a hand over his heart.

She rolled her eyes at his childishness but a smile was on her lips anyway. It had only been a year but they had grown so close that she could have sworn they've been together for many. They have successfully passed through a complete cycle of seasons: the light breezes of spring, the scorching heat of summer, the heavy storms of autumn, and even the cold bitterness of winter. Cagalli honestly hoped that they would continue to pass through many more. She wasn't sure whether this was truly love but she was certain that if he ever faltered, she would willingly be the sun that lights his path just as she knew he would undoubtedly be the shelter to her rain.

**-x-x-x-x-x-x-**

- May 1, 81 C.E. - 8:09 AM -

She entered the office that morning, tired and angry. After several days of rain, she finally decided she would bring an umbrella with her but not surprisingly, it didn't rain today. When Cagalli had left her apartment, the clouds were still dark but now, it was bright and sunny again. As odd as it sounded, the weather really did affect her mood. She was normally more cheerful when the sun was out but she just couldn't find it in herself to smile today.

Her mother didn't return yesterday until after she and Athrun left. Out of courtesy, Athrun had suggested they should go for dinner together but she had declined, saying she was too tired. She supposed that was partially the truth; the other half being that she just plainly didn't want to have dinner with him. She went home to an empty apartment because Miriallia was working overtime and she had a lonely meal before quickly washing up and going to bed.

That would have been a decent end to her day but unfortunately, she was cursed with insomnia and ended up twisting and turning the entire night, unable to sleep. She just couldn't stop thinking. Thoughts kept rapidly flying through her mind: good memories, bad memories, most of them of Athrun and she just felt so angry that her mind was wasting its time thinking about the idiot when she had work in the early morning.

Needless to say, she didn't get to sleep at all. She dropped herself dejectedly onto her office chair and started up her work computer. Maybe if she didn't have too much to do, she'd take the afternoon off. Or perhaps she could drink a lot of caffeine. Her boss could probably give her some tips on that.

Just as her computer started up, an angry platinum-haired man exited his office, a shampoo bottle in his hand.

"What the hell is this?" Yzak asked, placing the bottle roughly on her desk.

"Shampoo?" Cagalli suggested.

"There's no way in hell I'm using this. This is for women!" The lawyer exclaimed.

"Exactly what is so different about women's hair and men's hair that makes this so unusable for you?" The blonde retorted with narrowed eyes. "And how am I supposed to know what type of shampoo you use if you don't write it down."

Yzak returned her glare with full force. "You could have at least gotten a better brand then, Attha."

"Just use the damn shampoo, Yzak. It says 'for a shine like platinum'. No doubt, it's the best shampoo for your stupidly shiny platinum hair," she argued.

"Keep it for yourself. I'm not using this crap," Yzak yelled, storming away. "What you think is best might not always be so."

"I think I know that by now," Cagalli muttered angrily.

* * *

**Author's Note:** It's a very interesting experience to write about Athrun and Cagalli as exes and then suddenly switching to a scene where they are so in love with each other. It's also just weird that I'm always writing about the same two characters in almost every scene. Sometimes, I feel like I should spend some time to talk about the other characters too but the chapters are already so long. o_o

I also know that I can write some pretty corny lines sometimes so if anything made you cringe, then I apologize. (But seriously, just admit it. We all like corny stuff. :D)

Also, I understand that Orb is an equatorial country and it doesn't snow there but my imagination is limited. D: Having lived in a place that can range from -40°C to 40°C all my life, I just can't imagine the seasons changing without drastic weather changes. Plus, I really do appreciate how different each season is here in Canada. So yes, in this story, it snows in Orb. (And it will probably snow in Orb in my other stories too...)

To be honest, I don't have a lot of ideas yet for the next chapter so it might take a while. Heh, have a lot of thinking to do. And if any of you have suggestions, I am always open to them. (:

(July 21, 2013)


End file.
